Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Health Services

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the time it takes for people suffering from cancer to receive essential medical appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Yellow Card Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2022 to Question 92799, what regulatory action the MHRA has taken in response to the side effects detected as a result of the analysis of Yellow Cards; and how that regulatory action has been publicised.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what category of supplier is listed in his Department's spreadsheet entitled Product_VIP_Atamis; and what the meaning is of the designation VIP in that spreadsheet.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Resignations

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all Departmental documents, evidence and research in relation to NHS staff who have already left their positions as a result of the Government’s mandatory covid-19 vaccination policy, prior to recent changes to that policy.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Workers: Recruitment

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of care home staff; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Health: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he plans to announce the size of public health grants to local authorities.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Postnatal Depression: Mental Health Services

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist treatment is available for mothers suffering post-natal depression in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Domestic Abuse

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to help ensure provision of safe abortion access for women living with abusive partners; and if he will take make an assessment of the potential effect methods of accessing an abortion from a regulated provider on women who live in the same household as their abusers.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to end the temporary approval allowing home use of both pills for early medical abortion in line with the lifting of remaining covid-19 restrictions.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of places available in care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel: Coronavirus

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of international travellers, taking into account any exemptions, have not had their day 2 covid-19 PCR test result registered by the end of day 4.

Maggie Throup: We do not hold data in the format requested.

Dentistry: South East

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists were operating in the Brighton and Hove CCG area in each of the last five years; what steps he is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain NHS dental staff; what estimate he has made of the shortfall in NHS dental staff in (i) Brighton and Hove CCG area and (ii) South East region as of 10 February 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the number of dentists with National Health Service activity in Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in each of the last five years.2020/211682019/201842018/191872017/181762016/17175 Dental contractors are responsible for delivering activity requirements within their contracts and the recruitment needed to do so. The numbers of dentists recorded as having undertaken NHS dentistry during the pandemic is likely to reflect the impact of infection prevention and control requirements on the number of available appointments.The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform with stakeholders, such as the British Dental Association, to make NHS dentistry in England more attractive for dentists and their teams. Health Education England’s Advancing Dental Care Review, published in September 2021, aims to tackle recruitment, retention and attracting dentists into the NHS. The Dental Education Reform Programme is implementing these recommendations, particularly in areas of low NHS dental provision. No specific estimate of shortfalls in Brighton and Hove CCG and the South East has been made as of 10 February 2022.

Cancer: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of (a) whether and (b) by what date the NHS will meet cancer treatment targets.

Maria Caulfield: By March 2024, 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their general practitioner for suspected cancer should receive a diagnosis or an all-clear within 28 days. Local systems have been asked to restore the number of people waiting more than 62 days from an urgent referral to pre-pandemic levels by March 2023.

IVF: LGBT People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to commit to ensuring parity of access to IVF for same-sex couples.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Dr Rupa Huq MP) on 31 January 2022 to Question 112645.

NHS: Dental Services

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reform the NHS dental contract to improve access to NHS dentistry.

Maria Caulfield: The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform, working with stakeholders, such as the British Dental Association. This includes proposals to improve patient access, reduce health inequalities and make the National Health Service a more attractive place to work for dentists.

Coronavirus: Screening

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that personal data, including DNA, that has been received through covid-19 tests, particularly laboratory-based PCR tests, (a) has and (b) will not be shared with (i) pharmaceutical companies, (ii) insurers and (iii) other bodies that are external to the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: Personal data may be shared by the UK Health Security Agency in the context of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help operate all elements of the Test and Trace service including with bodies external to the National Health Service.This data will not be used for any purpose that is not linked to the control and prevention of COVID-19. We follow best practice to help protect personal information and comply with the law on the use of data, including the Data Protection Act 2018, and also require any organisations we work with to do so.A full list of the organisations we share data with for Test and Trace purposes, and the reasons for doing so, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-test-and-trace-privacy-information/test-and-trace-overarching-privacy-notice#appendix1

Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to undertake long-term immunity monitoring of people who have contracted the omicron covid-19 variant.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is continuing to monitor the development, persistence and cross-protection of antibody immune cell responses by both epidemiological and laboratory-based investigations, for many different variants of COVID-19 including the Omicron variant.The UKHSA monitors all SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, defined as a second or later episode of infection routinely based on an interval of at least 90 days between two positive PCR or lateral flow tests.Analysis from the prospective cohort study SARS-CoV-2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN), shows that of over 44,000 healthcare workers undergo frequent SARS-CoV-2 PCR and antibody testing for 12-months and up to 24-months for participants joining extended follow-up. Many participants who have recently developed Omicron infections, are under investigation and will continue to be monitored over the coming months. The study is available at the following link:https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.29.21267006v1

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a covid recovery pass can be obtained following registration of a positive lateral flow test.

Maggie Throup: The NHS COVID Pass only uses positive National Health Service PCR test results to generate a recovery certificate for travel.The NHS COVID Pass continues to develop in line with international standards and self-administered lateral flow device test results are not widely recognised for proof of COVID-19 recovery or test status for international travel.

Health Foods: Regulation

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform to create a new regulatory framework for novel health foods and supplements to promote investment in the UK as a leader in the nutraceutical sector.

Maggie Throup: Lord Frost wrote to the Chair of the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) on 16 September 2021 providing a full, area by area, response to the TIGRR recommendations.   The letter concluded, with regards to the recommendations for a new regulatory framework for novel health foods and supplements, that the United Kingdom already has in place the legislation and processes required for the regulation of such products. As such, there are no current plans to implement a new regulatory framework.The Government will continue to watch the international development of the novel health foods and supplements market.The letter can be read at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1018389/Letter_from_Lord_Frost_to_Sir_Iain_Duncan_Smith_on_the_Taskforce_on_Innovation__Growth_and_Regulatory_Reform.pdf

NHS and Social Services: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will urgently review the requirement for NHS and social care staff to require a covid-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

Edward Argar: Following consideration of the changes in the pandemic a result of the Omicron variant and the continued success of the vaccination programme, the Government announced on 31 January that vaccination will no longer be a condition of deployment for health and social care staff, subject to a public consultation and parliamentary process.

Hospitals: Pension Credit

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to promote access to support for the cost of travel to hospital by claiming pension credit.

Edward Argar: The Department has no plans to do so, as claims for pension credit are made through the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department’s regulations include some travel to hospital costs.

Nurses: Cumbria

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of nurses in Cumbria.

Edward Argar: We are committed to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament. This expanded nursing workforce will be available to support all National Health Service trusts in England, including Cumbria, through improving the domestic training, international recruitment and focusing on retention of existing staff. The Learning Support Fund provides non-repayable grants for student nurses studying in England, with all eligible students receiving at least £5,000 per year. We have also introduced an apprenticeship pathway from healthcare assistant to registered nurse.In addition, the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is expanding its nursing workforce, including working with the University of Cumbria to develop domestic recruitment and introducing support for overseas nurses.

Midwives: Cumbria

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of midwives in Cumbria.

Edward Argar: North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is undertaking a recruitment campaign which has attracted five new midwife appointments, with a plan to recruit twelve midwives through international recruitment. In 2023, there will be twice as many places available for student midwifery training to maximise the number of midwives qualifying in Cumbria.A new apprentice midwifery course at the University of Cumbria has been validated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This will allow staff within the organisation to achieve a midwifery registration within Cumbria. From April 2022, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has appointed a resource dedicated to supporting internationally recruited midwives and student and midwifery retention.

Care Workers: Coronavirus

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all Departmental documents, evidence and research in relation to the Government's mandatory covid-19 vaccination policy for social care staff.

Gillian Keegan: The Government has published evidence and research regarding vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) in Care Quality Commision (CQC)-regulated care homes and in health and wider social care settings.Documents relating to VCOD in CQC-regulated care homes are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-vaccination-a-condition-of-deployment-in-older-adult-care-homesDocuments relating to VCOD in wider social care settings are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-vaccination-a-condition-of-deployment-in-the-health-and-wider-social-care-sectorThe published documents contain references to evidence and research in the footnotes.The Secretary of State’s statement to the House setting out intentions to revoke VCOD is available at the following link:https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-01-31/debates/C23A5791-2CC9-44FA-B9D6-BC9355C014C1/VaccinationConditionOfDeploymentThe consultation on the proposal is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revoking-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-across-all-health-and-social-care

Disability: Health Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Care, with reference to Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s SEND Money Survey, published on 7 February 2022, what steps he is taking to help disabled children and families access therapies where they cannot afford them and do not receive adequate support from community services.

Gillian Keegan: The National Health Service’s ‘2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance’, published in December 2021, includes a requirement for systems to develop and agree a plan to reduce community service waiting lists. This aims to prioritise patients on waiting lists and consider transforming service pathways to improve effectiveness and productivity. On 11 January 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement published ‘Community services prioritisation framework’ which sets an expectation that community health services which have been delayed or paused as a result of COVID-19, should resume from 1 March 2022, benefiting all patients.

Dementia: Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the diagnosis rate of people suffering with dementia in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to monitor the dementia diagnosis rate each month and provide analysis on trends at a regional and sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) level to aid targeted recovery efforts.Earlier this financial year the government allocated £17m to NHS England and NHS Improvement to specifically address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. This funding was made available to Clinical Commissioning Groups in June 2021. We will be setting out our plans on dementia for England for future years later this year which will include a focus on dementia diagnosis.

Macular Degeneration: Stem Cells

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether trials are occurring to test stem cells as a treatment for macular degeneration.

Maria Caulfield: Stem cell treatments for macular degeneration are in an early experimental phase of development. The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network has supported a recent study (2015-2019­) producing stem cells to treat age-related macular degeneration and the Clinical Research Facility Network have supported 3 studies on macular degeneration and regenerative medicine and therapeutics in the past 5 years.

Meller Group

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds a minute of the meeting between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation and Meller Designs Limited regarding personal protective equipment on 6 April 2020; and who attended the meeting on behalf of (a) his Department and (b) Meller Designs Limited.

Edward Argar: The Department does hold a minute of this meeting, which was attended by the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Bethell), Departmental officials and David Meller.

Protective Clothing: China

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pieces of personal protective equipment were procured from China since January 2020.

Edward Argar: Over the course of the pandemic the Department generated orders for 36.9 billion items of personal protective equipment. Of these, 24.1 billion items have a country of origin recorded as China, including 10.7 billion gloves.

Hysteroscopy: Pain

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has to update Quality Standard 2 in QS47 on Heavy Menstrual Bleeding to state that all women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy should be offered pain relief, in line with Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance.

Edward Argar: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for maintaining its published guidelines and quality standards.NICE quality standards draw on existing NICE guidelines or NICE-accredited guidance and describe high-priority areas for quality improvement in a defined care or service area. NICE’s guideline on the assessment and management of heavy menstrual bleeding recommends that women are advised to take pain relief before hysteroscopy and have the option of hysteroscopy under general or regional anaesthesia. This is in line with recommendations made by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.NICE currently has no plans to update or review its quality standard or guideline on heavy menstrual bleeding. NICE maintains close surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance, and would consult on proposed changes if significant new evidence were to emerge.

Health Services: Birmingham

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the level of funding available to Birmingham as part of the Health Infrastructure Programme.

Edward Argar: The Health Infrastructure Plan announced in 2019 is delivering a long-term, rolling five-year programme of investment in health infrastructure, including capital to build new hospitals, modernise mental health facilities, improve primary care and build up our infrastructure in interconnected areas such as public health and social care. For example, in 2020, the Government committed £450 million to upgrade accident and emergency departments, £400 million to eradicate dormitory accommodation from mental health facilities, and £600 million to upgrade and refurbish National Health Service (NHS) hospitals. Birmingham trusts received investment from all these schemes. The capital settlement for the next 3 years has provided additional capital for the NHS, including for elective recovery. All health systems, including Birmingham, will shortly receive details of their allocations.

IVF: LGBT People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of IVF treatment on the NHS for same-sex couples.

Maria Caulfield: No such estimate has been made, as the Department does not collect this data centrally.

Dental Health: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rise has been in dental caries in children over each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: Dental caries in children is not measured every year. Dental surveys of five-year-old schoolchildren are undertaken every two years. These show there has been no rise in dental caries in this age group between the school year 2016-17 and the school year 2018-19. There was no survey in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dental Health and Malnutrition: Older People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the impact of poor oral healthcare and (b) levels of malnutrition in older people.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made of the impact of poor oral healthcare in older people in England, nor has one has been made on the levels of malnutrition in older people.

Lymphoedema

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with lymphoedema in the UK in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Digital have provided a count of patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of Lymphoedema, recorded for each year from 2016-17 to  2020-21 (inclusive).The data represents activity in NHS Hospitals in England and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sector.It is important to note that in any given year a patient will only be counted once, but it is possible that the same patient may be counted in multiple years. YearNumber of patients2016/1720,5212017/1822,9282018/1926,3942019/2029,6882020/2125,512Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

Dental Services: Integrated Care Systems

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of integrating dental services within ICS footprints or at a more local level from 2023.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of Integrated Care System partners being required to determine and fund dental delivery models to address the backlog in NHS dental services.

Maria Caulfield: The introduction of Integrated Care Services and their boards will strengthen partnerships between National Health Service dental care and local authorities, and with local partners, including Local Dental Networks. This will enable more joined up planning and provision, enhancing the services that patients receive. Integrated Care Board leaders must have the freedom and duty to distribute resources in line with national rules and contractual frameworks. The suggested reforms aim to bring commissioning of services, including dental services, closer to the patient and seek to address health needs at a more local level, including those that have arisen as a result of the pandemic such as challenges in accessing NHS dentistry.

Health Services: European Economic Area and Switzerland

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what total amount of public funds was spent by his Department reimbursing countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland for the provision of healthcare to visiting UK nationals during each of the following calendar years (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, (e) 2019, (f) 2020, and (g) 2021.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what total amount of costs were recovered by his Department from countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland for the provision of healthcare to their visiting nationals during each of the following calendar years (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, (e) 2019, (f) 2020, and (g) 2021.

Edward Argar: The table below outlines the relevant expenditure and income from countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and the net total expenditure. The requested information is not held in a calendar year format, due to the nature of the Department's accounting periods, so is provided by financial year. These figures cover the whole of the reciprocal healthcare budget, as it is not possible to disaggregate visitors from long term migrants (such as pensioners moving abroad, or long term posted workers). Expenditure and income are paid in arrears, so the amounts included in 2019/20 and 2020/21 were incurred prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures provided are after accounting treatment. 2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21 Total expenditure (£ ‘000s)486,943593,090897,224930,753945,179793,002948,695 Total income (£ ‘000s)50,04558,57286,06662,71762,95670,14467,813   Net total (£ ‘000s)436,898534,518811,158868,036882,223722,858880,882

Hospitals: Construction

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of needs of women and children when deciding the short list for beneficiaries of the New Hospital Programme.

Edward Argar: The first schemes for the New Hospital Programme announced in 2020 are all hospitals which require additional investment. In determining which schemes to take forward we ensured that each new hospital could benefit from the most effective and efficient solution for its local requirements. This includes facilities providing specialist services for the needs of women and children where this is the most appropriate solution for local and regional healthcare requirements.The selection process for the next 8 new hospitals received over 120 expressions of interest from a wide range of hospital trusts. The first stage of assessment involved consideration of the expressions of interest, alongside analysis of existing official datasets signed off by trust executives, and review and challenge from regional NHS leaders to provide expertise on local system priorities. A national panel will consider the full breadth of this evidence and analysis and provide advice to Ministers on a longlist for consideration.

Medicine: Higher Education

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of medical school places in England.

Edward Argar: The Government has funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England, which represented a 25% increase over three years. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England. In addition, the Government temporarily lifted the cap on medical school places for students who completed A-Levels in 2020 and in 2021 and who had an offer from a university in England to study medicine, subject to their grades.The Government currently has no plans to increase the number of places beyond this.

Cancer and HIV infection: Pembrolizumab

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of pembrolizumab in the treatment of HIV and cancer.

Edward Argar: We have made no assessment.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for making recommendations for the National Health Service (NHS) on whether licensed medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources.Pembrolizumab is licensed in the treatment of several different types of cancer and has been recommended by NICE subject to specified clinical criteria. Pembrolizumab is available to NHS patients in England in line with NICE’s recommendations. Further information about NICE’s published guidance on pembrolizumab for the treatment of some types of cancer is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=pembrolizumab.Pembrolizumab is not currently licensed for the treatment of HIV.

Macular Degeneration: Health Services

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for individuals suffering from macular degeneration.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service continues to prioritise urgent treatment for sight-threatening eye conditions, such as wet age-related macular degeneration, whilst the pandemic impacts services.Macular services often have specific commissioner-established targets based upon the treatment of patients in line with best practice, ensuring that patients receive high quality treatment.In addition to personalised support from specialists, the nhs.uk website provides details on support available for individuals suffering from age-related macular degeneration, including support groups such as the Macular Society support services and the Royal National Institute of Blind People advice service. Information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/age-related-macular-degeneration-amd/living-with-amd/

IVF

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence's guidelines on access criteria for IVF, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Clinical Commissioning Groups in England that limit access to IVF treatment on the NHS to women under the age of 35.

Maria Caulfield: No such estimate has been made, as the Department does not collect this data centrally.

Dental Services: Contracts

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on plans to reform the dental contract.

Maria Caulfield: With a wide range of key stakeholders, we have developed a number of initial proposed changes to the National Health Service (NHS) contract for dentistry services, aimed at supporting NHS dentistry in the short term. We are currently negotiating these with the British Dental Association, and will set out an implementation timetable when negotiations conclude.The development of further proposed changes for the longer term will be progressed over the summer and autumn of 2022.

Breast Cancer: Diagnosis

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the £2.3 billion of funding for diagnostic services provided in the most recent Spending Review will be used to improve the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer in 2022-2023.

Maria Caulfield: £2.3 billion over the Spending Review 2021 period will be used to transform diagnostic services with at least 100 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England to permanently increase diagnostic capacity. The CDCs will be new one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography scans, and ultrasound, benefitting millions of patients, including those with suspected breast cancer, who will be able to access earlier diagnostic tests closer to home.

Cancer: Cumbria

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the backlog of cases of people requiring diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Cumbria.

Maria Caulfield: Cumbria stretches across both NHS England and NHS Improvement North East and Yorkshire, and NHS England and NHS Improvement North West.Urgent cancer diagnostic and surgical cases were prioritised in north Cumbria during the COVID pressures, with clinics and operations being protected so urgent cases can be clinically prioritised. NHS England and NHS Improvement North East and Yorkshire have worked closely with partners within the Northern Cancer Alliance and created a Surgical Coordination Cell to ensure cancer surgeries were expedited across the region.Additionally, a new Modular Endoscopy Unit opened at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in November 2021 to expand capacity and ensure more timely appointment for patients. The £1.2 million modular unit will aim to see 500 patients a month over a six-month period and has sustained this trajectory to date since its launch.The Cumberland team will also recruit four new cancer nursing specialists and is developing new pathways and developments, such as the launch of a Serious Non-Specific Symptoms Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDCs) Pathway.NHS England and NHS Improvement North West have worked with its clinical commissioning group to introduce RDCs in colorectal, upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI), hepatobiliary and cancers of unknown primary, with a prostate RDC also in development.

General Practitioners: Cumbria

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of GPs in Cumbria.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.To boost recruitment, we have increased the number of general practitioner (GP) training places and in 2021/22, we saw a record 4,000 trainees, up from 2,671 in 2014.The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment scheme (TERs) is a national incentive scheme that funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract GP trainees to work in areas of the country, including in Cumbria. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams continue to deliver a number of projects at local levels through the GP Retention Fund.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. These include The GP Retention Scheme, The International Induction Programme, The Return to Practice Programme, the Fellowship Programme, the New to Partnership Payment and Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Protective Clothing: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the value of the personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied by (a) Ayanda and (b) Pestfix was included within the estimated loss in value of £8.7 billion on PPE, reported in his Department's annual report and accounts 2020-21.

Edward Argar: Items supplied by Ayanda and Pestfix were included among the write-down reported in the Department's annual accounts for 2020-21.

Dentistry: Termination of Employment

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dentists (a) retiring and (b) leaving the profession in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: This data is not collected by the Department. However, the General Dental Council publishes information on the number of dentists removed from the dental register by reason for removal, including retirement. This information is available from 2019 at the following link:https://www.gdc-uk.org/about-us/what-we-do/the-registers/registration-reports

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeline is for the dental backlog to be cleared sufficiently to allow capacity for people to have an annual NHS dental check up.

Maria Caulfield: No timeline has been set out. Capacity in National Health Service (NHS) dentistry remains restricted with NHS dental practices continuing to operate below pre-pandemic levels of activity.NHS England and NHS Improvement have set activity thresholds for dentists which have gradually increased throughout the pandemic period. NHS dental practices have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and care for vulnerable groups, including children followed by overdue appointments including NHS dental check-ups. NHS check-ups are scheduled according to clinical need and in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care excellence can be up to 24 months apart.An additional £50 million in funding for NHS dentistry has been made available for the remainder of the 2021/22 financial year to give more patients that have been unable to obtain an NHS appointment access to dental care.

NHS: Pensions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to maintain the suspension of the NHS pension abatement rules under the Coronavirus Act 2020 after 25 March 2022 while the NHS continues to experience the effects of the covid-19 outbreak; what assessment he has made of the impact of the suspension of the abatement rules on the number of hours worked in the NHS by retired and partially retired staff during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Since March 2020, the 16 hour rule, abatement of Special Class members of the 1995 Section (staff with the reserved right to retire at 55 without an actuarial reduction) and abatement of draw down members in the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme have been suspended. Abatement does not apply generally in the scheme, but it does apply to Special Class staff who return to work between age 55 – 60. Abatement recognises that Special Class members have a significant benefit not available to other staff in the National Health Service (NHS).It is difficult to measure the number of additional hours worked due to Section 45, but the pension measures allow thousands of retired and partially retired staff to increase their working commitments without the risk of having their pension benefits suspended.Once abatement is resumed, the Special Class closed cohort will still be able to continue working for the NHS; typically at least half time. The vast majority of staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension.The Department is currently consulting on a proposed continuation of the easements to 31 October 2022. The consultation was launched on 15 February and is open to 1 March.

Dementia and Cancer

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many civil servant posts there were in his Department working on (a) dementia, (b) heart disease and (c) cancer in (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) February 2022.

Edward Argar: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing England in line with the rest of the UK by removing prescription charges.

Edward Argar: We have made no recent assessment. Approximately 89% of prescriptions in England are already dispensed free of charge and extensive arrangements are in place to help those most in need.Decisions on prescription charges in the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for the devolved administrations.

IVF

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure equal access to IVF treatment in England.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 February 2022 to Question 111482.

Oral Tobacco

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will direct the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ next annual review of vaping and tobacco harm reduction in England to focus on the potential role of tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches in helping smokers to quit.

Maggie Throup: The next Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Vaping in England annual report will include data on the use of nicotine pouches amongst adults and youth. It will not, however, focus on the potential role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation.Plans for reviewing the wider evidence base for nicotine pouches are being considered.

Dental Services: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were removed from NHS dentists lists as a result of non-attendance during the covid-19 outbreak in (a) the Brighton and Hove CCG area, (b) the South East and (c) England; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: Patients are not registered on an ongoing basis with National Health Service (NHS) dentists. Patients receiving NHS dental care are only registered whilst they are undergoing a course of treatment. The data requested is therefore not collected.

Retail Trade: Food

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of what will constitute a meal deal for the purposes of the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations.

Maggie Throup: Offers commonly referred to as 'meal deals' or "dine in for two", are out of scope of volume price promotion restrictions, where foods are promoted as intending to be consumed together. The "relevant special offer" definition provided in the Regulations deals with meal deals (which may include items of specified food) which are generally targeted as lunch options for adults to consume on the go that day or "dine in for 2" type offers that are reducing the cost of "complete" meals for multiple people, rather than being stockpiled at home; and they aim to reduce the cost of a single meal. The Regulations refer to these offers as a "relevant special offer" which means an offer of a discounted price is permitted for multiple items promoted as intended to be consumed together as, or as part of, a single meal by one person or by two or more people together (as, for example, in “meal deal” or “dine in for two” offers). However, all specified food, whether part of a meal deal or not, cannot be placed in restricted locations.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to help raise awareness of cancer on World Cancer Day 2022.

Maria Caulfield: On World Cancer Day, 4 February 2022, the Secretary of State held a roundtable discussion with several cancer charities, followed by a speech on cancer in England. The Department also launched a Call for Evidence on World Cancer Day, which will feed into a new 10-year cancer plan to be published later this year.Public awareness campaigns have been delivered under the NHS England and NHS Improvement ‘Help Us Help You’ umbrella, which is designed to encourage more effective use of the NHS by encouraging people to get help in the right place at the right time and raise awareness of cancer symptoms. Three new awareness campaigns, tackling cervical screening, prostate cancer, and barriers to seeking treatment, will be launched over the next month. The phases of the campaign that have run to date have contributed to the high levels of urgent cancer referrals the NHS has seen since March 2021.The Department’s communications team also secured 14 national stories, 14 regional pieces, and 18 online stories.

Blood: Donors

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of blood donation in each of the last two years.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of a safe, reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England. Blood stocks are monitored daily and NHSBT has continued to fulfil hospital orders over the last two years.Demand for blood decreased by around one third at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blood collection also fell due to shortfalls in staffing levels and a fall in donor attendance. To meet the social distancing requirements, NHSBT increased its capacity for blood collection by recruiting more staff and opening new temporary blood collection centres.Hospital demand for blood has since returned to normal levels and as of 11 February 2022, NHSBT held more than six days’ stock. This is in addition to hospital stock.

Health Services: Agency Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent (a) locum and (b) agency staff have been paid by NHS England in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The table below sets out average full time equivalent (FTE) data on agency use for the medical and dental staff group and for all agency staff. The figures are for agency use in secondary care. 2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22 (YTD Month 1-9 only)Medical and dental agency use average FTE4,9234,9134,5644,3474,621Total agency use average FTE26,63226,67426,13726,01231,350

Lung Diseases: Screening

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of when his Department will receive the report and recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee on a national lung screening programme.

Maria Caulfield: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) plans to open a three-month public consultation on the evidence for lung cancer screening in the coming weeks.The Department will receive the UK NSC’s recommendation on lung cancer screening in individuals at an increased risk following its June meeting.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect immunosuppressed people from covid-19 and (b) ensure that they have access to quick and accurate testing for covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19, is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk NHS England and NHS Improvement has written to General Practices (GP) and hospital trusts in England to raise awareness of this new guidance. All those who are severely immunosuppressed are eligible for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of their primary course, and a booster (fourth dose). From 16 December 2021, the National Health Service (NHS) is offering new monoclonal antibody and antiviral treatments to people at greater risk from COVID-19. These treatments are licensed for use in non-hospitalised patients to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death. These include the two oral antivirals procured by the Antivirals Taskforce, as well as the monoclonal antibody treatment.There are two routes to accessing new COVID-19 treatments for non-hospitalised patients this winter. People who are higher risk of COVID-19 (potentially including where this is due to their immune system) can access this or other treatment through the COVID Medicine Delivery Units. The second route has made oral antivirals available through a national study called PANORAMIC, run by the University of Oxford in close collaboration with GP hubs. It is for United Kingdom patients at risk of serious illness from COVID-19.We have multiple channels through which both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow device (LFD) testing is available for all. PCR tests can be ordered to the home, and can also be carried out at test sites. LFDs can be ordered through gov.uk and collected from pharmacies.For immunosuppressed people who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments, including monoclonal antibodies and antivirals, we have a bespoke priority PCR testing system in place to ensure they have swift turnaround times on their tests should they require further treatment if they are positive. All eligible people have been contacted by the NHS.

Advisory Committee On Borderline Substances

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of application processing delays by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances on (a) patient choice for malnutrition products and (b) additional costs to the NHS.

Edward Argar: The Department has made no assessment of the potential impact of application processing delays by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) on patient choice for malnutrition products and additional costs to the National Health Service.Some ACBS functions were put on hold from 2 April 2020 to 1 August 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, the Committee continued work on all applications that were already being reviewed but did not accept new applications. Applications submitted but not being reviewed before the period were reviewed upon the service resuming.Borderline substances indicated for the management of malnutrition and approved by the ACBS are listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff, in which there are currently 209 products listed for the management of malnutrition.

Hospitals: Visits

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people can visit relatives in hospitals in England.

Edward Argar: We recognise the contribution that visiting makes to the wellbeing of patients. The Government and NHS England are clear that providers are expected and encouraged to facilitate visits wherever possible, and to do so in a way which manages the risks. Visiting policies are ordinarily at the discretion of local NHS Trusts and other NHS bodies, based on national principles, who will make their own assessment as to the visiting arrangements that can be in place given local prevalence of COVID-19 and the specific setup of their facilities. The national guidance encourages providers to actively find ways to ensure visiting can take place.

Department of Health and Social Care: Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Table 2.2 on page 131 of the Levelling Up White Paper, what proportion of the 380 Department for Health and Social care roles moving outside London by 2025 will be moved to Newcastle.

Edward Argar: The Department is committed to playing its full part in the levelling-up agenda. This includes through shifting 380 roles outside London as part of ‘Places for Growth’, as summarised in the recent ‘Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper’. Specific and quantified plans for the location of roles across our estate are not yet finalised.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating a significant part of the funding for managing the waiting lists for elective care to Primary Care Networks.

Maria Caulfield: No formal assessment has been made of allocating part of the elective recovery fund to Primary Care Networks (PCNs).PCNs receive their own funding. Since 2019, practices have been able to join PCNs, which typically serve local population ‘footprints’ of between 30,000 and 50,000 people and help to deliver economies of scale, boost capacity, and improve access to healthcare services.Their introduction has represented a significant additional funding stream for primary care services, which continues to grow and includes reimbursement for additional clinical staff.It also includes an Investment and Impact Fund, worth £150 million in 2021-2022 and £225 million in 2022-2023, which includes £9.9 million from April 2022 to incentivise the utilisation of specialist advice and guidance within PCNs.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he intends to respond to the enquiry of 5 November 2021, referenced RL15264, from the hon Member for High Peak.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 10 February 2022.

Dental Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of people across Yorkshire to access NHS dental services; and what steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry.

Maria Caulfield: National Health Service dental practices, including across Yorkshire, have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as is safely possible. They are prioritising urgent care, care for vulnerable groups and children, followed by delayed planned care.An additional £50 million in funding for National Heath Service (NHS) dentistry has been made available for the remainder of the 2021/22 financial year to give more patients that have been unable to obtain an NHS appointment access to dental care. The available appointments will be targeted first at those most in need of urgent dental treatment, vulnerable groups and children. Patients across Yorkshire who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.Work to reform the NHS dental contract is underway and is being led by NHS England and NHS Improvement working closely with the Department and the British Dental Association. One of the main aims is to improve patient access to NHS care.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to the correspondence of 21 December 2021 from the Hon. Member for High Peak, reference RL30497.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 14 February 2022.

Advisory Committee On Borderline Substances: Appeals

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is an appeals process in place for applicants whose products are rejected by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances.

Edward Argar: There is no formal appeals process in place for applicants.The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) does not reject applications. Unsuccessful applicants are informed of further information the Committee requires to continue processing an application and they can reapply. In rare instances, an applicant may be informed of reasons that their product is not supported by the Committee for listing on Part XV of the Drug Tariff.The Department started a project in 2019 to improve the ACBS application process. The work is being undertaken in partnership with the ACBS and the British Specialist Nutrition Association – the trade body for the medical nutrition industry. A key objective is to ensure fairer, more accurate, consistent, efficient and quicker decisions by the Committee. The working group last held a meeting on 10 February 2022.

Dementia: Research

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of funding available for research into (a) treatments and (b) diagnostic tests for dementia; and what steps he is taking to increase research funding for those purposes.

Maria Caulfield: There has not been a recent assessment of funding available for research into dementia treatments and diagnostic tests. We are investing £375 million in neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years. This funding will support research on dementia treatments and diagnosis. Further actions to boost dementia research include a new £9 million call inviting research proposals to the National Institute for Health Research on digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia, launched in November 2021. We are working on ways to significantly boost further research on dementia, and we will be setting out our plans on dementia for England for future years later this year.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people over the age of 12 have received a second covid-19 booster vaccination in each local authority.

Maggie Throup: Data specific to the second COVID-19 booster vaccination or fourth dose is not available in the format requested.COVID-19 vaccine uptake data for those with at least three doses by Lower Tier Local Authority, including latest vaccination uptake for those aged 12 and over, is published daily on the United Kingdom COVID-19 Dashboard. Data up until 8 February 2022 is available at the following link:https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations

IVF: LGBT People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce regional ​disparities in access to IVF treatment for same-sex couples.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton on 31 January 2022 to Question 112645.

Retail Trade: Food

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations, when his Department plans to update and publish the nutrient profile model (NPM) technical guidance so that companies can accurately calculate the NPM scores; and whether his Department plans to provide a standardised online calculator for that matter.

Maggie Throup: The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) Technical Guidance can be used by companies to calculate the NPM values of their products accurately. The Department continues to have conversations with stakeholders on the NPM Technical Guidance in advance of the location and volume promotions regulations coming into force in October 2022. We recognise that industry want a tool to assist compliance and are looking into more ways to support businesses and enforcement bodies to calculate NPM scores. The NPM 2004/5 Technical Guidance is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216094/dh_123492.pdf

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have received a second covid-19 booster vaccination in each local authority.

Maggie Throup: Data specific to the second COVID-19 booster vaccination or fourth dose is not available in the format requested.COVID-19 vaccine uptake data for those with at least three doses by Lower Tier Local Authority is published daily on the UK COVID-19 Dashboard, data up until 8 February 2022 can be found at the following link:https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinationsThe United Kingdom Health Security Agency publish vaccine uptake data for those who have been vaccinated with at least three doses in the weekly COVID-19 and flu surveillance report which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season

Health Professions: Training

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of training places that will be offered for (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) allied health professionals and (d) scientists in each of the next five years.

Edward Argar: In the 2022/23 academic year 7,571 places will be offered for medical undergraduate courses and 809 places for dentistry courses, in England. These are intake targets set by the Office for Students (OfS). These targets are set annually and thus we do not hold information about the number of medicine and dentistry places to be offered in subsequent years.The Department does not hold the specific number of places offered in the next five years for courses in nursing, allied health professions and healthcare science.

Health Professions: Termination of Employment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS has modelled the number of (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) allied health professionals and (d) scientists leaving the NHS through retirement or for any other reason within each of the next five years, in their workforce planning.

Edward Argar: The Department has made no such estimate.The Department has recently commissioned NHS England to develop a workforce strategy and will set out the key conclusion of that work in due course.

Health Professions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the net change has been in the number of (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) allied health professionals and (d) scientists working for the NHS from (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2020 to 8 February 2022.

Edward Argar: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers.Data on the National Health Service (NHS) workforce is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). ESR is the HR and payroll system for the NHS.The following table shows the changes in the numbers of full time equivalent HCHS doctors and nurses working in NHS trusts and CCGs as of November 2021 and the change since November 2010, November 2015 and November 2020.  HCHS DoctorsHCHS NursesNovember 2021128,084311,724Change since November 20204,61711,169Change since November 201523,36236,338Change since November 201030,75438,098 The following table shows the changes in the numbers of full time equivalent allied health professionals and healthcare scientists working in NHS trusts and CCGs as of October 2021 and the change since October 2010, October 2015 and October 2020.  Allied health professionals Healthcare scientists October 202181,79525,947Change since October 20201,875474Change since October 201511,9412,554Change since October 201016,265-396

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff per 100 people his Department plans to allocate to support people waiting for elective surgeries, excluding through the new digital platform.

Edward Argar: Decisions around staff allocation are made by the National Health Service at a local level, according to need and local plans.

Food: Advertising

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high far, salt and sugar products regulations, how the online promotion rules will interplay with the (a) new online advertising rules and (b) existing CAP codes.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt regulations, where liability will sit for products on online delivery platforms.

Maggie Throup: Retailers who are qualifying businesses are responsible for ensuring any contracts in place with an online delivery platform make clear that the law must be followed. They must also ensure that the products they sell are compliant with the location and price promotion restrictions on these types of platforms, where they remain responsible for this food being offered for sale. Although retailers are responsible for the sale of their products online, online aggregators may also have such a responsibility. This could arise for example, when aggregators advertise, promote or facilitate the sale of products on behalf of a trader. A court will consider each case on its facts when considering if the actions of online delivery platforms and aggregators have led or contributed to a breach of the Regulations. In areas where both the new online advertising and promotions restrictions may overlap, for example if a company has paid for advertising of an identifiable high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) product displayed in an area restricted under the promotions regulations (such as on a retail home page, check-out page or page not intentionally opened by the consumer), the retailer or aggregator will be liable for the breach of promotions Regulations. It is also possible that the frontline regulator of the advertising restrictions may also find the advertiser liable in breach of advertising Regulations. However, as liability differs between the restrictions, we do not anticipate a scenario where an individual will be sanctioned twice for a single breach. The promotion Regulations act independently of the existing CAP codes. If a piece of content is in scope of the promotions restrictions and potentially in breach of the UK Advertising Codes and this comes to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority then it will refer the matter to the relevant enforcement authorities. Compliance with the promotions Regulations takes precedence over the non-statutory UK Advertising Codes.

Retail Trade: Food

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations, whether seating areas are planned to count towards relevant floor space calculations.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations, what the definition is of covered external areas in regard to store entrances and the entrance space calculation.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations, whether HFSS products are permitted to be displayed where a premise has a dedicated exit.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations, what the definition is an aisle for the purpose of in aisle exemption within 2m of a designated queuing area and within 2m of a checkout facility.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, salt and sugar products regulations, what the definition of a customer route through store is; and whether that definition affects the inclusion of end of aisles.

Maggie Throup: The Regulations describe where qualifying businesses must not place specified food inside a physical store. Businesses in scope of the Regulations with stores that have 185.8 square metres (2,000 square feet) or greater of ‘relevant floor area’ will be in scope of the location promotion restrictions. The relevant floor area excludes areas used mainly for the preparation or sale of food intended for immediate consumption whether on or off the premises (including, for example, a coffee shop or a canteen). Many seating areas of a café, for example, run by the business or a business other than the business primarily responsible for managing and operating the store may not count towards the relevant floor space of an area. This will need to be assessed by the enforcement authority when assessing the premises. A ‘main customer route’ takes its natural meaning as one of the main routes a customer is expected to take when moving around the store, whereby a customer is directed through the store by passages between aisles. The purpose of this definition is to try not to capture island-type displays, as islands typically do not have an 'aisle-end' as no one side displays prominence in the same way that a typical long rectangular aisle does. An aisle end is defined as a display at the end of (but not in) an aisle, where the aisle end is adjacent to a main customer route through the store, or a separate structure (such as an island bin, free-standing unit (for example fridges/freezers), side stack or clip strip) connected or adjacent to, or within 50cm of, such an aisle end. Businesses in scope of the Regulations must not place specified food in store at any area within 2 metres of a designated queuing area or a queue management system, other than within an aisle. Specified food cannot be placed at the end of an aisle and/or on an island type structure within 2 metres of a checkout facility or a designated queuing area.A covered external area means a covered area outside and connected to a store’s main shopping area, through which the public passes to enter the main shopping area for example a foyer, lobby or vestibule. Businesses in scope of the locations restrictions are prohibited from placing specified food within a certain distance of their store entrance or entrances. These restrictions do not apply to an ‘exit only’ exit from where customers cannot or should not enter into the store.

Retail Trade: Food

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to regulations on high fat, salt and sugar products, what the definition of a specialist retailer is.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, salt and sugar products regulations, whether those regulations only apply to businesses registered in England or to all businesses selling food and delivering in England.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, salt and sugar products regulations, whether retailers will have an additional sell-through period for products with on pack promotions past October 2023.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, salt and sugar products regulations and the determination of the size of a business, whether the number of employees includes those registered within England, the UK or globally.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, salt and sugar products regulations, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of further clarifying whether non-specified product formats are in or out of scope of the regulations.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the size of a business for the purpose of new High Fat, Sugar and Salt guidelines refers to number of employees in that business in (a) England, (b) the UK or (c) globally.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt regulations, whether enforcement of those regulations will be led by (a) Trading Standards, (b) Environmental Health Officers or (c) both.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the high fat, sugar and salt products regulations, how concessions are being determined; and what the definition of primary responsibility of a concession in store is.

Maggie Throup: The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 apply to medium or large businesses (those with 50 or more employees) operating in and selling to England. The number of employees is not restricted to England, it is the total number of employees a business has in its entirety.Specialist retailers are retailers that only or mainly sell food from a single category in Schedule 1 of the Regulations or a specific type of “less healthy” product. For example, chocolatiers, confectioners, and cake stores are generally considered to be specialist retailers and are therefore exempt from the location restrictions. However, they must comply with volume price promotion restrictions.Concessions are defined in the Regulations as being an area that is occupied by a business other than the business primarily responsible for managing and operating the store, but only where this concession operates its own payment facilities.There is a transition period until 2023 which allows retailers to sell existing stock that was produced before October 2022 with volume price promotions (such as ‘X% extra’) on the packaging that they cannot remove. After October 2023, it is not permitted.The Regulations will be enforced by food authorities – this will be a local authority (for example a county, borough, or district council). The Regulations may be enforced by trading standards and/or environmental health officers depending on local arrangements. The upcoming guidance, being developed in collaboration with trade associations, businesses and local authorities, will provide further clarification on which products and product formats are in scope of the Regulations to help businesses to plan ahead.

Dementia

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many civil servants work specifically on dementia within his Department; and what the grades of those civil servants are.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) staffing and (b) resource budget has been allocated for work on dementia within his Department.

Gillian Keegan: The information is not held in the format requested. Work on dementia involves staffing and budgets across multiple teams within the Department, including those focused on dementia policy, research and prevention, as well as social care reform.

Lung Diseases: Screening

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 15 of NHS England’s 2022-23 priorities and operational planning guidance, whether NHS England plans to publish details of the Targeted Lung Health Check projects that will be launched in 202-23.

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) funding and (b) additional support NHS England has made available to Cancer Alliances to ensure each operates at least one targeted lung health check project from 2022-23.

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the increase in CT scanner numbers required to ensure each Cancer Alliance operates at least one targeted lung health check from 2022-23.

Maria Caulfield: Up to £70 million of targeted funding under the National Health Service Cancer Programme’s Service Development Funding budget has been made available to support the running of Targeted Lung Health Checks (TLHC) in 2022/23. This will include the expansion of the programme to ensure a project in each Cancer Alliance.NHS England and NHS Improvement also supports the delivery of the TLHC programme with standard protocols, expert advice, and nationally procured and coordinated quality assurance and training.There are currently nine Cancer Alliances without a TLHC project. NHS England and NHS Improvement plan to expand the TLHC programme in 2022/23 to ensure that each of these Cancer Alliances has at least one TLHC programme. We estimate an additional eight computerised tomography (CT) scanners will be needed to facilitate this expansion.

PPE Medpro

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117796, for what reason PPE Medpro was not given a red, amber or green rating in his Department's financial assessment.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117796, whether his Department has retained (a) records of its financial assessments of suppliers of personal procurement equipment and (b) ratings of those suppliers as red, green or amber.

Edward Argar: The Department cannot comment on individual contracts where disclosure would be likely to prejudice commercial interests. Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act exempts information where disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person.

Cancer: Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to obtain additional resources to build capacity so that the NHS can tackle the cancer backlog.

Maria Caulfield: At the Spending Review we announced an extra £5.9 billion of capital to support elective recovery, diagnostics, and technology over the next three years. This includes £2.3 billion to increase the volume of diagnostic activity and to roll out Community Diagnostic Centres to help clear backlogs of people waiting for clinical tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasounds and computerised tomography scans.We announced a £1 billion Elective Recovery Fund at Spending Review 2020 to support elective and cancer recovery. As part of this, a £20 million investment was made available to Cancer Alliances to help speed up cancer diagnosis and help manage the high volume of referrals.The Spending Review in 2020 provided £260 million to increase the National Health Service workforce and support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan. This included £52 million in 2021/22 for Health Education England to further invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including expanding training in key medical professions, offering training grants for 250 nurses wishing to become cancer clinical nurse specialists and for an additional 100 nurses wishing to become chemotherapy nurses.

Autism: Disabled Facilities Grants

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has provided through the Disabled Facilities Grants for children with autism in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Disabled Facilities Grants for children with autism in enabling them to stay in their homes as opposed to being placed in residential care.

Gillian Keegan: The refreshed national autism strategy has been extended to children and young people, recognising that many autistic people can live well in their own homes if these are adapted to their needs. Since 2010, we have invested more than £4 billion in the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), delivering an estimated 490,000 home adaptations. The number of children with an autism diagnosis who received a DFG in each of the last five years is not held centrally.Foundations, the national body for Home Improvement Agencies, has published a guide for local authorities ‘A Guide to Adaptations For Children and Young People With Behaviours That Challenge’ which includes advice on DFGs for autistic children and young people and those with learning disabilities. The guidance is available at the following link:https://booklets.foundations.uk.com/adaptationsforbehavioursthatchallenge#page=1

NHS: Sexual Offences

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what obligations NHS organisations and organisations delivering NHS services currently have to document and report on complaints of sexual misconduct and assault reported by patients and staff; and what opportunities exist for Parliamentary scrutiny of that data.

Maria Caulfield: Under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009, all National Health Service organisations must prepare an annual report covering the number of complaints the organisation received, the subject matter of those complaints and details of what action has been or is to be taken to improve services as a consequence of those complaints. NHS organisations must make this  annual report available to anyone who requests it, including  Parliament.

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he has received legal representation funded from the public purse in relation to either (a) the investigation led by the Second Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office into gatherings in government properties or (b) the investigation by the Metropolitan Police into potential breaches of regulations in Downing Street during the covid-19 lockdown.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer to her question of 10 February 2022, UIN 115926.I note that she has also written to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Cabinet Secretary on the same issue. A Ministerial reply will be sent in due course.

Owen Paterson

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2021 to Question 80323, whether he met Owen Paterson in 10 Downing Street in (a) November and (b) October 2021.

Michael Ellis: I have been asked to reply. No.

Department for Work and Pensions

Household Support Fund

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has for the Household Support Fund beyond March 2022.

David Rutley: The Household Support Fund covers the period 06 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 inclusive. Other support for those on low incomes will also still be available after this point. For example, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. In Scotland, similar support is provided through Best Start Foods. We are investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities. The Government is also providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further £9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices.

Poverty

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the benefit cap on levels of poverty.

David Rutley: No recent assessment has been made of the impact of the benefit cap on the levels of poverty. There is a statutory duty for the Secretary of State to review the benefit cap levels once in each Parliament. The review will happen at the appropriate time, as determined by the Secretary of State.The Benefit Cap provides a strong work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households and encourages people to move into work, where possible. This aligns with our long-term focus of continuing to support people into, and to progress in, work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117878 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, who was responsible for the decision made on 15 October 2020 not to publish the sanctions evaluation report.

Mims Davies: The decision not to publish the sanctions evaluation report was made on 15 October 2020 by the Secretary of State.

Employment: Young People

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to help ensure that appropriate job opportunities are available and accessible to young people in their local areas.

Mims Davies: Through Jobcentre Plus, DWP is helping young people to find the right support, education or training that will ultimately lead to sustained employment opportunities and career progression. Core skills are fundamental in securing, retaining, and progressing in work. This Government has invested in apprenticeships, traineeships, vocational and basic skills training, alongside careers advice and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).The Plan for Jobs provides a comprehensive package of support for young people, including the Youth Offer and Kickstart. The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16 to 24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through fully funded six-month jobs. The DWP Youth Offer provides intensive work search support to young people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit and in the Intensive Work Search group. As part of this, Youth Hubs are co-located with partner organisations in a place-based approach. These co-delivered partnerships provide vital links within the community and offer a multitude of services, including opening up more employment opportunities within local areas. Through our partnership network we are engaging with a broad spectrum of providers who are co-located including colleges, employers, and local authorities. Some of the national providers are National Careers Service, Princes Trust, Aspire, NHS and probation services. These organisations have access to skills and training programmes and can help with CV writing, job applications and interview preparation. Our National Employer and Partnership team are helping to build local partnerships which are critical to delivery in this area. We also work closely with smaller organisations offering bespoke local work-related opportunities, enabling employers to support and engage their future workforce.

Jobcentres: Staff

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made made for the implications of her policies of the Public and Commercial Services Union press notice, entitled PCS condemns government Way to Work initiative, published 27 January 2022, which cites the potential negative effects of that campaign on jobcentre staff; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: We continue to monitor the operation of all our policies and processes to ensure they remain clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and have carefully considered the impact of implementing Way to Work on jobcentre staff. Our Jobcentre teams are committed to ensuring all claimants receive the best possible support to meet their individual circumstances. Jobcentre caseload sizes are closely monitored at both a national and sub national level to allow DWP to plan workforce numbers required. The frequency of interventions Work Coaches undertake with claimants is determined by the individual circumstances of the claimant, the duration of their claim, and the level of support required at that time. Maintaining an effective Work Coach diary is a joint responsibility between a team leader and the Work Coach; and is managed collaboratively through regular discussion and agreement. Way to Work is a new concerted national drive to help half a million people claiming benefits into jobs by the end of June 2022, supporting them to take their next step to building a more secure and prosperous future. While we have more people on company payrolls than before the pandemic, latest figures show there are around 1.2 million vacancies across the economy, including many in key sectors. Through Way to Work we will work with employers and claimants to support people into work more swiftly. This isn’t a new sanctions policy. What’s changing is the time people have to limit their search for jobs in their preferred sector. Claimants with skills and experience for a specific type of role will be permitted up to four weeks to secure employment in that sector rather than the previous 13 weeks. Sanctions are only ever used where someone fails to comply with reasonable and appropriate commitments that have previously been agreed, without good reason. These steps are agreed with the claimant, outlined in the claimant commitment and followed up during discussions with Work Coaches. If, after 4 weeks, claimants refuse to widen their job search and apply for a broader range of roles, attend interviews or take up paid work outside of their preferred sector without good reason, then they may be referred for a sanction. Sanctions are only used when jobseekers fail to meet their agreed requirements or refuse to take up or stay in employment without good reason. The latest statistics show the sanctions rate at 2.37% which is below pre-pandemic levels.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117880 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, if she will list the international studies cited in that Answer which show that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work.

Mims Davies: Publicly available international studies indicate that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work. Some of these studies are synthesised in a report by Griggs and Evans (2010), Foundation on Sanctions within conditional benefit systems: A review of evidence.

Universal Credit

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 117034, if she will review her Department's condition that a claimant normally be willing to travel 90 minutes each way to work to ensure that it meets the stated aim set out in the foreword of the Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper that, People deserve to live in a country where life is not a postcode lottery, where by staying local you can go far.

Mims Davies: It is not necessary to review the expected daily travelling time as DWP is well placed to support the Levelling Up agenda. We do this by helping individuals across the nation to take full advantage of job opportunities within their local areas. Typically, a claimant who is expected to be available and looking for work will be required to look for work that is within daily travelling time of their home. There is a maximum limit set at 90 minutes travel time from their home, Work coaches have the flexibility to tailor this taking into consideration a claimant’s circumstances, for example, location of childcare, schools, available work and public transport links Flexible Support Fund is available to help with the cost of attending interviews and can support travel costs for up to 3 months of the claimant starting work

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117879 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, if her Department will undertake research into poverty experienced by individuals who have been subject to benefit sanctions.

Mims Davies: We have no plans to undertake further research on sanctions.

Statutory Sick Pay

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to extend measures on Statutory Sick Pay implemented as part of the response to the covid-19 pandemic beyond 23 March 2022.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy that statutory sick pay will continue to be payable from the first qualifying day that a worker is off work for a worker who is off sick or self-isolating because of covid-19 or has tested positive for covid-19.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on continuing day one access to statutory sick pay after 23 March 2022.

Chloe Smith: The Government will set out its plan for living with Covid on 21st February.

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single universal credit claims have been closed following a claimant moving in with their partner and submitting a new joint claim in the last 12 months for which data is available.

David Rutley: When a single claimant becomes part of a couple, they form a benefit unit with their new partner. As the claimant(s) is now part of a benefit unit, their single claim becomes a joint claim as a change of circumstance has occurred. As a result, the claim continues with a partner being added to the household, without the need for a new claim. The information attached shows the number of single claims to Universal Credit where a joint claim change of circumstances had been submitted.Table 1 (xlsx, 16.5KB)

Children: Maintenance

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the  adequacy of the existing legislative powers available to the Child Maintenance Service to assist in recovery of maintenance arrears from self-employed paying parents.

Guy Opperman: The Child Maintenance Service has robust enforcement measures in place to try and recover arrears, including powers to deduct from a wide range of bank accounts, seizing goods, forcing the sale of a property and disqualification from driving or commitment to prison. Enforcement actions are considered on a case by case basis, using powers that have the greatest chance of securing money for children.

Social Security Benefits: EU Law

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which aspects of European social security law her Department is currently reviewing in the context of (a) proposals to amend or remove retained EU law through the Brexit Freedoms Bill, (b) deregulatory proposals arising from the Government's Benefits of Brexit paper, or (c) general co-operation on matters of mutual interest with the EU.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions is participating in the ongoing Cabinet Office-led review to assess the scope of retained EU law across all policy areas and the UK statute book. At present, no conclusions have been made on what pieces of retained EU law will be amended under the proposed Bill. The Department continues to co-operate with the EU and the Member States on social security matters as set out in the Withdrawal and Trade and Co-operation Agreements

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Opinion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research her Department has conducted into public perceptions of, or trust in, her Department.

Guy Opperman: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. DWP has not conducted research with the specific aim of looking into public perceptions of, or trust, in DWP. Questions around trust / public perceptions may have been asked in research projects as part of a wider research remit, however information on this is not readily available.DWPs published research reports can be found here. DWP funds / co-funds three large scale cross-cutting surveys that ask questions around attitudes and perceptions on DWP related topics. The British Social Attitudes Survey asks the general public about their attitudes to various aspects of child maintenance, social inequalities, and work and health. The Customer Experience Survey asks customers a range of questions about their experiences and satisfaction with their recent transaction with DWP. The Understanding Society survey asks the general public about various topics including their income, financial strain, pensions, benefits, and long term illness and disability.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting people from sanctions if there is evidence of severe mental health or associated risk of self harm.

Chloe Smith: Those who are not expected to look for work, such as those with severe health conditions, including mental health, are not subject to work search or work availability requirements. Work Coaches engage at an individual level with them and are committed to tailoring support for specific individual needs, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage claimants into or towards the labour market where conditionality requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate for the claimant. This would include tailoring to reflect any mental health or associated self-harm issues the claimant raised. Sanctions are only applied where a claimant fails to comply with a mandatory requirement set out in their claimant commitment such as a failure to attend an appointment. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

Lone Parents: Social Security Benefits

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the benefit cap on women who are lone parents.

David Rutley: No recent assessment has been made of the effect of the benefit cap on women who are lone parents.

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help avoid a gap in income for households whose single universal credit claims have been closed due to a change of circumstances and who are in the process of establishing a new joint claim with their partner.

David Rutley: When a single claimant becomes part of a couple, they form a benefit unit with their new partner. As the claimant(s) is now part of a benefit unit, their single claim becomes a joint claim as a change of circumstance has occurred. Support is available to claimants, through a ‘change of circumstances’ advance, for those who face short-term financial need, where a change of circumstances will significantly increase the amount of their benefit entitlement, i.e. from the single standard allowance to a couple’s standard allowance. This advance will be available to claimants in the same Assessment Period in which the change of circumstance occurs.

Social Security Benefits: Long Covid

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people claiming disability benefits or universal credit who are experiencing long covid; and what plans her Department has to undertake future monitoring of the number of people receiving support from her Department who are experiencing long covid.

Chloe Smith: The Department publishes monthly Official Statistics on the number of people entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by main disabling condition. The Department also publishes quarterly National Statistics on the number of people entitled to, and in payment of, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) by main disabling condition. Statistics are available to October 2021 for PIP, and August 2021 for DLA and AA on Stat-Xplore. Guidance for users is available here. From March 2021 PIP, DLA and AA cases were able to have the disability or main disabling condition classified as "Coronavirus covid-19". These cases are long covid / post-covid syndrome cases, rather than initial covid-19 infection. Any individuals with long covid as their primary reason for claiming PIP, DLA or AA prior to March 2021 will not be classified as "Coronavirus covid-19". These cases will remain classified according to the disability recorded that links with the claimant’s functional needs. For PIP statistics, the PIP Cases with Entitlement dataset allows you to view the number of PIP cases with entitlement split by disability. Coronavirus-19 can be selected by expanding ‘Infectious disease’ then ‘Viral diseases’. For DLA and AA, the respective DLA and AA: Cases with Entitlement – Data from May 2018 datasets have a category within the disability filter called ‘Infectious diseases: Viral disease - Coronavirus covid-19.’ Please note that data is based on primary disabling condition. This is as recorded on the administrative systems for PIP, DLA and AA. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is available for statistical purposes and shown in these statistics. The information requested for Universal Credit is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. There are currently no plans to provide such a breakdown. Other people receiving support with long covid may include those receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), however information is currently only available for high level medical conditions on Stat-Xplore and analysts are investigating if lower level conditions, including "Coronavirus covid-19", can be recorded and reported in the future.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to personal independence payment claimants who cannot afford the fees they are being asked to pay by GPs for medical evidence in support of their claim.

Chloe Smith: We ask claimants to provide evidence they already have available so they do not have to pay a charge which a General Practitioner (GP) may choose to impose. Where a claimant has provided details of their GP or other healthcare professional, the health professional working for our Assessment Providers can request additional evidence from them where they think that would provide helpful evidence of the claimant’s condition or functional needs.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to the public purse was of challenging appeals against her Department's decisions on personal independence payment which were upheld at tribunal, in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's response of December 2021 to further recommendations made by the UNCRPD in 2016 on the UK's implementation of that convention, what steps she is taking to protect the rights of disabled people.

Chloe Smith: We are fully committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which we ratified in 2009, and the progressive realisation of rights for disabled people that it sets out. The UK has some of the strongest equalities legislation in the world, including the Equality Act 2010, and we will continue to make sure that these rights are protected. The UK has a proud record of furthering the rights of disabled people. The principles of the UN Convention are at the heart of our approach. We continue to reform and modernise our public services and welfare system to ensure that disabled people are able to participate in every aspect of society. The UK’s 2021 report demonstrates our ongoing commitment across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support disabled people, through legislation, policies and programmes that tackle the barriers faced by disabled people to realise their full participation and inclusion in society. The Government’s response was submitted to the UNCRPD Committee in 2021, and published on GOV.UK with accessible formats in December 2021 and can be found here. The UK Government’s recently published National Disability Strategy has been a milestone in this respect, with over 100 practical commitments which are being delivered to improve the everyday lives of disabled people.

Employment: Menopause

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women going through the menopause in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England are supported in their workplaces.

Mims Davies: Too many women feel forced either to leave work, reduce their hours, or take a step back in their careers, because of the menopause. That is why I asked the 50+ roundtable of employer organisations to look at menopause and employment, emphasising the importance of the provision of support by employers. An independent report is now published which Government will respond to. The Women’s Health Strategy will have menopause as a priority, and the UK wide Menopause task force will take a holistic approach to menopause care from healthcare to workplace support and education, enabling national coverage which will provide benefits at a local level. Our 37 district 50PLUS Champions provide a local response, reinforcing Jobcentre Plus’s commitment to supporting over 50s claimants find and stay in work by sharing the benefits of employing over 50s to employers. Our champions utilise their knowledge and local links to support Work Coaches and employers to understand the characteristics of our customers and the issues that may affect them such as the impact of the menopause, helping them retain women’s skills and expertise.

Centre for Social Justice

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 113819 on the Centre for Social Justice, whether the meeting was minuted.

Chloe Smith: No. Formal, structured meetings are usually minuted, however, not all meetings need to be minuted. It is expected that the general guidance that departments give to their staff will help officials make judgements as to what meetings need to be minuted, noting their Civil Service Code obligation to ‘keep accurate official records’. Specific procedures are in place for external meetings involving Ministers. These are publicly available and can be found in the Guidance on the management of Private Office Papers.

Pension Credit

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase pension credit take-up in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Guy Opperman: The latest Pension Credit take-up statistics are due for publication on 24 February. These will cover the financial year 2019/20. Due to the sample size used to estimate Pension Credit take-up statistics, figures cannot be broken down to a constituency level. The Department has undertaken a range of actions to raise awareness of Pension Credit, encourage pensioners to check their eligibility, and to make a claim. This has included a Pension Credit media day of action in June, working with stakeholders such as the BBC and Age UK. Our initial internal management information suggests new claims for Pension Credit in the past twelve months to December 2021 were around 136,000, representing an increase of around 30% compared to the 12 months to December 2019 when they were around 105,000. It also suggests that we have been receiving consistently high volumes of claims over recent months, at around 3,300 per week. This management information has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but are provided here in the interests of transparency. The impact of these claim volumes on numbers of successful awards and on Pension Credit take-up will take longer to establish given the usual cycle involved in producing those statistics

Social Security Benefits: Cost of Living

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will lift the benefit cap in the context of the rise of the cost of living.

David Rutley: There is a statutory duty for the Secretary of State to review the benefit cap levels once in each Parliament. The review will happen at the appropriate time, as determined by the Secretary of State.

Universal Credit: Uprating

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the discontinuation of the £20 per week uplift to universal credit on levels of (a) destitution, (b) relative poverty and (c) fuel insecurity.

David Rutley: It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of discontinuing the temporary £20 per week uplift to universal credit on poverty. It would involve projecting forward the impact of the pandemic on every household’s income, which is not possible to do with a sufficient degree of confidence.

Home Office

Asylum

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cessation of international protection decisions were made by the UK in 2021 (a) in total, (b) by nationality of applicant and (c) by applicant's protection status.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel Requirements

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the time set out in her Department's service standards is for processing a travel document.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel Requirements

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to speed up the time taken by her Department to process travel documents.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel Requirements

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the processing time is for a travel document from her Department.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new asylum applications were submitted by individuals who had previously been refused asylum in the UK in 2021.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Maira Shahbaz

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to advance the Asylum case of Christian Pakistani girl, Maira Shahbaz, and her family who have been in hiding for 18 months.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to case reference NC24802, what recent steps her Department has taken to make support available to British citizens to be reunited with family who remain in Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Applications

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of when the visa application of 28 August 2021, number 1212-0001-1687-2836/00 with GWF061763452, will be determined; and whether the applicant's passport can be returned in the meantime.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on approving licences for the use of live animals for the routine production of antibodies; and how many animals were used for this purpose in 2020.

Tom Pursglove: The data from establishments used for the production of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain does not include information on how many animals were used for the purpose for the routine production of antibodies in 2020. The Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit will only authorise applications that include animals used for the production of monoclonal and/or polyclonal antibodies where there is robust, legitimate scientific justification through the harm benefit analysis (HBA) process required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.From a regulatory perspective the position for the use of animals for antibody production is subject to the same standards as for any other application to use animals in science as follows:The responsibility for ensuring that any use of animals only occurs if there is no non-animal alternative is the responsibility of the person who applies for a project licence to perform a programme of work involving the use of regulated procedures to protected animals. The establishment under whose establishment licence the programme of work occurs also has a legal responsibility to satisfy the establishment licence holder that the strategy and process for searching for and implementing non-animal alternatives is optimised..The role of the regulator is twofold. Firstly, when applying for such a project licence the applicant must provide satisfactory evidence that no non-animal alternative exists and how they will during the licence continuously reassess the availability of non-animal alternatives. This evidence must be satisfactory for the licence to be granted. Secondly, the regulator undertakes a series of compliance assurance activities to ensure those licence conditions are being met and takes appropriate action if they are not.

Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement of the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation in Westminster Hall of 25 October 2021, Official Report, column 46WH, how many animal tests have taken place for the purposes of regulating medicinal botulinum in Britain in each of the last three years for which statistics are available.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office can confirm that in 2018, 92,164 animal tests took place for the purposes of regulating medicinal botulinum in Britain. In 2019, 69,396 tests were carried out, and in 2020, 65,888 tests were carried out. To protect human safety there are legal requirements to test the safety and potency of medicinal products and drug substances containing botulinum toxin. This Government confirms that where validated non-animal alternatives acceptable to the relevant regulator are available to meet these legal requirements, then animal testing in the UK is not authorised.

Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to reports of the unlawful extradition of Ahmed Jaafar Mohammed Ali from Serbia to Bahrain on 24 January 2022 on the basis of an Interpol red notice, what assessment the she has made of the implications for her policies of that extradition.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: English Language

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 98220 on English language support for refugees, whether the Operation Warm Welcome programme for Afghan arrivals in the UK following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan still covers the costs of English language classes.

Victoria Atkins: For those coming through both the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), once granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, beneficiaries over the age of 19 have immediate access to funding through the Department for Education’s Adult Education budget including English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.As part of Operation Warm Welcome, the funding package offered to Local Authorities, who have pledged support to the ARAP and ACRS cohort, is additional funding of £850 per adult over the age of 19 which will be made available to assist with English Language training.This funding is available for the first year in country.Resources from the BBC can be found here BBC Learning English - Beginners English. The Open University has curated a series of short courses especially English provision and other resources for refugees. It is free to all and available at https://www.open.edu/openlearn/society-politics-law/resources-refugees

Refugees: Afghanistan

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places remain to be allocated on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and how many and what proportion of the people given protection under that scheme are British nationals or living in the UK as of 8 February 2022.

Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.We are not giving a running commentary on statistics of those in the scheme due to the continuing flow of people being welcomed. We will include this data within published resettlement statistics later in 2022.

Written Questions

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 1 February to Question 11694 and Answer of 26 June 2020 to Question 28755, what (a) internal management information processes or (b) publication standards has changed within the last two years that prevent an answer to Question111694.

Kevin Foster: Pursuant to answer of 1 February to Question 11694 and answer of 26 June 2020 to Question 28755, there have not been any changes to internal management information processes or publication standard that have changed within the last two years.The Home Office remains committed to routinely publishing information which shows the number of cases in the entire asylum system outstanding, however some data we are unable to provide as it is not easily aggregated, can only be obtained at disproportionate costs or not held in a reportable format.However, data on case age can be found in ASY_03 of the published Transparency data:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-dataWhilst there are a number of older outstanding cases in the system, these are more complex cases which generally have barriers that prevents an initial asylum decision being made. These barriers are often varied and require time to clear, but our teams are actively working to clear and progress these to a decision.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inmates across the prison estate have been detained at the end of their sentence awaiting a Home Office decision on an authority to detain notification (IS91) in each year since 2010.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation has been paid out to detainees across the prison estate for having to wait for a Home Office decision on an authority to detain notification (IS91) once they have already served their sentence in each year since 2010.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average detainees have had to stay in prison after their sentence has been served whilst awaiting on an authority to detain notification (IS91) decision in each year since 2010.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public.We make every effort to ensure that a foreign national offender’s (FNO) removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of sentence. Detention plays a crucial role in enabling the removal of FNOs and those who are here illegally. Published Home Office policy, Detention General instructions (publishing.service.gov.uk), is clear that immigration detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. Where the Home Office intends to detain a time-served FNO under immigration powers at the end of their custodial sentence, detention notices are served in advance of this date, subject to certain exceptions. A timely risk assessment is also carried, out in line with published guidance, which reviews the suitability of the FNOs transfer to the immigration removal estate. Foreign national offenders held in detention have the option to apply to an independent immigration judge for bail at any point. Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. We do not detain people indefinitely. The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data include those detained under immigration powers in HM prisons from July 2017 and can be broken down by place of detention. The latest data relate to the number of people in detention at the end of September 2021.

Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation of 25 October 2021, Official Report, column 46WH, whether it remains her policy that animals are not used in the batch potency testing of (a) botulinum toxin as a registered medicine and (b) botulinum toxin for any other use as a result of the availability of a validated non-animal alternative.

Tom Pursglove: To protect human safety there are legal requirements to test the safety and potency of medicinal products and drug substances containing botulinum toxin.This Government confirms that where validated non- animal alternatives acceptable to the relevant regulator are available to meet these legal requirements, then animal testing in the UK is not authorised.

Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the availability of alternatives to live animals for antibody production; and what steps she is taking to help institutions transition towards the production of antibodies without the use of animals.

Tom Pursglove: The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) leads on developing and sharing techniques in both the UK and internationally which Replace, Reduce and Refine the use of animals. The various programmes and initiatives funded by the NC3Rs have both identified problems and found innovative solutions through science led approaches.Since the NC3Rs was launched in 2004, it has committed £100 million in research to develop new 3Rs technologies. Of the 414 grants that have been awarded, 69 (£11.4 million) have been for refinement research to improve the welfare of laboratory animals.The NC3Rs promotes moving to the use of animal-free antibodies and have funded and showcased projects developing animal-free antibody technologies. More information can be found at: https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/).This Government will continue to work with the NC3Rs on how best to utilise its expert advice on the delivery of the 3Rs as part of the regulatory process.

Asylum: Children

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department keeps official records (a) the average number of days it takes to process claims for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK and (b) trends in the number of days it takes her Department to reach a decision on children seeking asylum claims in (i) 2021, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2019; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office are unable to state the average number of days it takes to process claims for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK or provide trends in the number of days it takes to reach a decision in 2021, 2020 and 2019 as this information is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration. This data can be found at Asy_D03, (broken down by nationality and applicant type) in the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasetsThe Home Office have established two dedicated case working Hubs for deciding children’s asylum claims which are now fully operational. The hubs have established improved focus on and greater control of children’s cases to build expertise, identify efficiencies and provide a consistency of decision making (and quicker outcomes) for our customers.We continue to work collaboratively with Local Authorities nationally on the remote interview process for Accompanied and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and young people utilising digital interviewing video capabilities to complement in person interviews.Since May 2021 we have increased Local Authority opt in for digital interviewing to 108 Local Authorities helping to speed up processes, reduce delays and the numbers of children and young people who have an outstanding claim.We are continuing to recruit additional decision-makers who will be trained to process children’s asylum claims.

Daniel Morgan Independent Panel

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to implement the recommendations in The Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.

Kit Malthouse: The majority of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel’s recommendations were for policing. There are also recommendations for Government to address. Good progress is being made in responding to these recommendations and my officials are working across Government to ensure a comprehensive response to the Panel’s report.In respect of those recommendations directed at the police, last June the Home Secretary wrote to the Commissioner of the MPS asking her to address those recommendations, as well as the wider themes highlighted by the Panel, as soon as practically possible. The Home Secretary also asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to investigate the issues raised by the Panel.The Home Secretary has committed to return to the House to provide an update to Parliament on progress made against the recommendations in the report, which she intends to do as soon as practicable after receiving the HMICFRS report and the response of the MPS this year.

Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 115830 on Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients, if she will (a) request that the Chief Constable of Surrey replies to the hon. Member for New Forest East on the two-year delay in concluding an investigation into the impregnation of a sectioned in-patient by a care home employee and (b) ensure that the response includes (i) an indication of when the file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and (ii) an undertaking that the resultant child will not be relocated to Ghana to live with the father's parents prior to any decision on prosecuting the father.

Kit Malthouse: As my previous answer referred, it is not appropriate for ministers to comment on ongoing police investigations and this is an issue that the member will need to discuss with the Chief Constable.

Asylum: Detention Centres

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applicants were in immigration detention at the end of 2021.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention on the last day of each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people in detention broken down by asylum and non-asylum related detainees are published in table Det_01 of the ‘Detention summary tables’ The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.Asylum-related detainees relate to detainees who have claimed asylum at some point. This includes failed asylum seekers as well as those with open claims. Figures on people in detention at the end of December 2021 will be published on 24 February 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Biometric Residence Permits: Afghanistan

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Biometric Residence Permit cards have been issued to individuals who have been granted leave to remain in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to date.

Kevin Foster: Between 15 and 29 August, the Department evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan.The Home Office is supporting those currently in the UK with 6 months leave to apply for and be granted ILR. Our aim is to conclude this process before individuals’ leave to remain expires.The data on those who have received their Biometrics Residency Permits is internal management data and therefore not suitable for publication at this stage.

Asylum: Interviews

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many substantive asylum interviews were conducted (a) via video technology and (b) in total in 2021.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office are unable to state the number of asylum interviews were conducted via video technology and in total in 2021 as this information is not published because it is not held in a reportable format.The Home Office has successfully used video technology to support remote interviewing for more than 2 years and has appropriate operating procedures that are designed to ensure participants are able to give the best account of their circumstances when it is used.We are also able to offer in person interviews for those seeking asylum if requested or required where additional needs are presented.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the further chasing letter to the Minister for Future Borders and Immigration from the hon. Member for Harrow West of 9 November 2021, regarding his constituent Arian Sherzai and the safety of relatives in Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The Minister for Afghan Resettlement wrote to all members on 13 September 2021 and re-affirmed in her statement to the House on 6th January 2022 informing them that we could not pursue cases concerning Afghan people in country in the usual ways in view of the very difficult circumstances in Afghanistan. The Minister advised members to signpost individuals to gov.uk to check for the latest information about Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) rather than to seek to pursue cases on their behalf. As a result, any correspondence received from Members during the Afghan evacuation period (including chaser enquiries) relating to Afghan people in country have and will not receive a substantive response. The letter received from the hon. Member on 9 November 2021 was chasing a response to his earlier letter of 24 August 2021 meaning no substantive response will be sent.

Asylum: Children

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations from Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit on their concerns that children seeking asylum in the UK are at a higher risk of criminal exploitation, self-harm and dying by suicide; and what steps she is taking to tackle the backlog of children seeking asylum.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office regularly receive representations from Greater Manchester child and migrants’ rights organisations on children seeking asylum in the UK.The department most recently received a courtesy copy of an open letter dated 16 December 2021, from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) in which 25 child and migrant rights organisations wrote to us and we replied to this on the 20 January 2022.The department maintains a working relationship with GMIAU and other regional organisations through our strategic partnerships; including the Strategic Engagement Group (SEG) and National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF), who continue to work collaboratively to ensure asylum claims from children and young people remains one of our top priorities.The Home Office have established two dedicated case working Hubs for deciding children’s asylum claims which are now fully operational. The hubs have established improved focus on and greater control of children’s cases to build expertise, identify efficiencies and provide a consistency of decision making (and quicker outcomes) for our customers.We continue to work collaboratively with Local Authorities nationally on the remote interview process for Accompanied and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and young people utilising digital interviewing video capabilities to complement in person interviews.Since May 2021 we have increased Local Authority opt in for digital interviewing to 108 Local Authorities helping to speed up processes, reduce delays and the numbers of children and young people who have an outstanding claim. We are continuing to recruit additional decision-makers who will be trained to process children’s asylum claims to further reduce the number outstanding.

Asylum: Children

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations from Greater Manchester child and migrant rights organisation on concerns that children seeking asylum in the UK are at a higher risk of criminal exploitation, self-harm and dying by suicide; and what steps she is taking to resolve backlog of children seeking asylum.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office regularly receive representations from Greater Manchester child and migrants’ rights organisations on children seeking asylum in the UK.The department most recently received a courtesy copy of an open letter dated 16 December 2021, from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) in which 25 child and migrant rights organisations wrote to us and we replied to this on the 20 January 2022.The department maintains a working relationship with GMIAU and other regional organisations through our strategic partnerships; including the Strategic Engagement Group (SEG) and National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF), who continue to work collaboratively to ensure asylum claims from children and young people remains one of our top priorities.The Home Office have established two dedicated case working Hubs for deciding children’s asylum claims which are now fully operational. The hubs have established improved focus on and greater control of children’s cases to build expertise, identify efficiencies and provide a consistency of decision making (and quicker outcomes) for our customers.We continue to work collaboratively with Local Authorities nationally on the remote interview process for Accompanied and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and young people utilising digital interviewing video capabilities to complement in person interviews.Since May 2021 we have increased Local Authority opt in for digital interviewing to 108 Local Authorities helping to speed up processes, reduce delays and the numbers of children and young people who have an outstanding claim.We are continuing to recruit additional decision-makers who will be trained to process children’s asylum claims to further reduce the number outstanding.

Asylum

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average duration of the asylum procedure at first instance is in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is unable to report what the average duration of the asylum procedure at the first instance is in the UK as this information is not recorded and held in a reportable format. However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration. This data can be found at This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics:List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Employment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to give people seeking asylum the right to work in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office already allows asylum seekers the right to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. We have no plans to change this approach.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to implement an exemption to the residency requirement for UK citizenship in regards to EU nationals who have been in the UK since infancy and have had a period overseas for study or work in the five years proceeding their application.

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals who have been in the UK since infancy had their applications for UK citizenship turned down due to having a period overseas for study or work in the preceding five years in the time periods of (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.

Kevin Foster: There are no plans to exempt EU nationals from the statutory residence requirements for British citizenship, which apply to all applicants regardless of nationality. It is fair all applicants, irrespective of nationality, meet these same requirements to ensure citizenship is granted on a consistent basis.A person should not normally be absent from the UK for more than 450 days during a 5 year residential period, and no more than 90 days in the final year. There is some discretion available to caseworkers over excess absences and this is normally exercised where the applicant has established their home, employment, family and finances in the UK, and the absence is as a result of compelling or compassionate reasons beyond the applicant’s control. Details of how discretion may be exercised is published in nationality guidance.There are no figures available through our normal reporting mechanisms for the specific scenario requested. Transparency data on overall approval/refusal numbers for citizenship applications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q3-2021

Immigration: Afghanistan

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support Afghan nationals after their six months leave to remain in the UK ends and (b) provide information, advice and support for those people prior to the end of their leave to remain.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has written to Afghan families advising them of the next steps to progress permanent residence in the UK. The Home Office has established a dedicated caseworking team, which is working jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. This team will contact those here in the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and those moving onto the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, to assist them to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain status. While families are being accommodated in Bridging Hotel accommodation, we remain committed to ensuring that there essential living needs are being met.We also have Home Office Liaison Officers (HOLO’s) allocated to Bridging Hotel Accommodation.The role of the HOLO is to provide both face to face support and remote support when not physically present. They are reactive to the needs of those accommodated in hotels and can provide signposting to other government departments and Local Authorities and ensure safeguarding concerns are appropriately acted upon.

Immigration: Detention Centres

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for UK asylum while in immigration detention in 2021.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering, leaving and in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. This data is broken down by asylum and non-asylum related detainees and are published in table Det_01 of the ‘Detention summary tables’.“Asylum-related detainees” relates to detainees who have claimed asylum at some point, not just while in detention and also includes failed asylum seekers as well as those with open claims. The data therefore is not a direct count of people who applied for asylum while in detention.Data on people leaving detention while their asylum claim is considered are included in the ‘Bailed (Secretary of State or SoS)’ category and are published in table Det_04a of the ‘Detention summary tables’ with the latest data being for the year ending September 2021. However, this does not specify when the asylum claim was raised.The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.Figures to the end of December 2021, will be published on 24 February 2022.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Immigration

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of outstanding applications for (a) UK citizenship and (b) indefinite leave to remain.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to process outstanding applications for (a) UK citizenship and (b) indefinite leave to remain in a timely manner.

Kevin Foster: We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand. Our aim is to process all applications for UK citizenship and indefinite leave to remain within our service level agreement (SLA) of six months. Each individual case is considered on its own facts, so may take longer dependent on the circumstances of the case, for example, if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record. If an application is deemed complex and expected to take longer than the published SLA, UKVI will write to the customer within the SLA and explain what will happen next.Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Refugees: Afghanistan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support people relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy to integrate into society.

Victoria Atkins: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is working with departments including the Home Office to support people relocated to the UK, to integrate into UK society.Please see my Dear Colleague letter of 23 December 2021 outlining our support and my statement to the House on 6 January 2022, to be found here: Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme - Hansard - UK Parliament.

Regional Planning and Development

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on reviewing her Department's condition that a claimant will normally be willing to travel 90 minutes each way to work, to help ensure that it meets the aim in the foreword of the Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper, that people deserve to live in a country where life is not a postcode lottery, where by staying local you can go far.

Neil O'Brien: The Government is helping individuals across the nation to take full advantage of job opportunities within their local areas and the Department for Work and Pension is well placed to support the Levelling Up agenda.Typically, a claimant who is expected to be available and looking for work will be required to look for work that is within daily travelling time of their home. There is a maximum limit set at 90 minutes travel time for this. Work coaches have the flexibility to tailor this taking into consideration a claimant’s circumstances, for example, location of childcare, schools, available work and public transport links.The Flexible Support Fund is available to help with the cost of attending interviews and can support travel costs for up to three months of the claimant starting work.

Parking: Arfon

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the number of private parking fines issued in Arfon in each year since 2018.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the number of private parking fines that have been successfully appealed in Arfon in each year since 2018.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the estimated total value of private parking fines issued in Arfon in each year since 2018.

Neil O'Brien: The Department does not collect this information. However, on 7 February the Government published its Private Parking Code of Practice, a key milestone in the implementation of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. As part of this work, we are developing a data strategy to improve the gathering and use of parking-related data to monitor the effectiveness of the new Code and to inform policy-making in this area.

Levelling Up Fund: Devolution

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of first round allocations of the UK Levelling Up Fund went to (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; and how did those allocations compare to the minimum allocations that had been set out.

Neil O'Brien: The first round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1.7 billion in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UKThe first round allocations for each nation are as follows: Scotland - 10.1%; Wales - 7.2%; Northern Ireland - 2.9%.The Levelling Up Fund prospectus stated that at least 9% of total UK allocations were to be set aside for Scotland; 5% for Wales; and 3% for Northern Ireland.There was significant interest in the first round of the Fund. Whilst some bids have not been successful, there will be further funding opportunities through a second round of the Levelling Up Fund which will open in spring 2022. More information on this will be available in due course.

Antisemitism

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle the rise in anti-semitic crimes and incidents.

Kemi Badenoch: The number of antisemitic incidents and the rise in the last year is unacceptable. The Government takes hate crime very seriously and are clear that victims should be supported and the individuals who carry out these heinous attacks must be brought to justice.We are providing £14 million this year, and have provided £65 million to date, for the Protective Security Grant to protect Jewish schools and community buildings. Alongside this, the Governments Independent Advisor on Antisemitism, Lord Mann, continues to provide advice on the most effective methods to tackle antisemitism. We were also the first country to adopt the IHRA definition of Antisemitism and continue to encourage organisations and councils to adopt the definition – demonstrating their willingness to support the Jewish community.

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to introduce rent controls in areas of very high private rental costs.

Eddie Hughes: The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls to set the level of rent at the outset of a tenancy. Rents are negotiated and agreed between landlord and tenant.Historical evidence suggests that these would discourage investment in the sector, and would lead to declining property standards as a result, which would not help landlords or tenants. Recent international examples suggest that rent controls can have an inadvertent negative impact on the supply of housing and may encourage more illegal subletting.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2022 to Question 105741 on High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention, what progress he has made across Government to protect leaseholders from the risk of forfeiture result from non-payment of historic building safety remediation costs.

Stuart Andrew: We are clear that building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders, and leaseholders living in their own medium and high-rise buildings should not have to pay to remediate historic cladding defects that are no fault of their own. That is why we are bringing forth statutory protections in the Building Safety Bill to ensure leaseholders are protected. This will have the effect of removing the threat of forfeiture for non-payment of these charges as they will no longer be payable or enforceable.It is absolutely wrong that any leaseholder is threatened with forfeiture linked to these remediation costs before the protections we are putting into law come into force. My department has written to developers to ensure they are not pursuing forfeiture during this interim period. Leaseholders who receive a bill for historic cladding remediation costs can contact the Leasehold Advisory Service.

Building Regulations

Kelly Tolhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the National House Building Council’s role in overseeing building regulations.

Stuart Andrew: Under the current system, Approved Inspectors such as NHBC are independently monitored and regulated by CICAIR Ltd to carry out building control work in England (and Wales). CICAIR Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the approval process it operates provides a route to registration as an Approved Inspector.The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for oversight of the competence and performance of building control professionals and the building control bodies in which they work, taking a wider view of the professionalism and culture that needs to support building safety in all classes of work, not just in-scope buildings. To do this, we are introducing a system of oversight of the performance of building control bodies (Local Authorities and Registered Building Control Approvers), and a system of individual registration based on competence and adherence to a code of conduct, all overseen by the Building Safety Regulator.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take to ensure that local authorities acquire or build new social housing to meet rising demand in areas where there is a net loss of social housing.

Stuart Andrew: Building more social and affordable homes is a priority for this Government, and we want to see local authorities playing a key role in the delivery of new housing. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which councils can bid for, will deliver up to 180,000 affordable homes should economic conditions allow. This on top of our £9 billion Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, running to 2023, which will deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes.The Government wants to see local authorities delivering the next generation of council housing and we have given them a comprehensive range of tools to do so. In March 2021, we announced a package of reforms to give councils more freedom in how they can spend the money they receive from Right to Buy sales on replacement homes. In addition to this, Government abolished the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing cap in 2018, allowing councils to borrow to build more council homes.

Building Safety Fund

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason the Building Safety Fund has agreed to pay for the replacement of zinc cladding on wooden battens on the Express Networks 2 building in Manchester but not on The Gateway building in Leeds which also has zinc on wooden batten cladding.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers previously given to Questions UIN 64550 on 1 November 2021 and UIN 67061 on 4 November 2021. All zinc cladding systems that have been deemed eligible for funding have been found to be present in combination with combustible insulation that meets the eligibility criteria.More information on the eligibility criteria for the Building Safety Fund can be found in Prospectus Annex A: Technical Information of the Building Safety Fund Prospectus, available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund.In fact, neither of the buildings mentioned met the eligibility criteria. There is an example of another building in Manchester with an apparently similar cladding system which has received funding, but this is because the cladding system present includes combustible insulation.

Housing: Older People

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the new taskforce on older people’s housing announced in the Levelling Up White Paper will (a) involve collaboration between his Department and the Department of Health and Social Care, and (b) include a focus on housing options with onsite social care provision.

Eddie Hughes: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 120902 on 15 February 2022.

Northern Ireland Office

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much each department in the Northern Ireland Executive has returned to the Treasury since 2016; and what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on that matter.

Conor Burns: Any returns by the Northern Ireland Executive to the Treasury are undertaken at Block Grant level not by individual departments. Since 2016, the Executive’s underspends have been largely in two areas: ring-fenced Resource DEL and Financial Transactions Capital. Budget exchange is a mechanism that allows the Executive to carry forward a forecast DEL underspend from one year to the next, within previously agreed limits and with the consent of Treasury Ministers. Since 2016, the total amount of underspend for each year which cannot be accessed via Budget Exchange for the following year is: 2016/17: £130.9m 2017/18: £210.1m 2018/19: £254.9m 2019/20: £207m 2020/21: £426.7m The amount unused in 2020/21 includes £373.3m that had been earmarked for student loan impairments, which did not materialise. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engages with the Chancellor and Treasury Ministers on a regular basis in relation to Northern Ireland’s public finances and wider economy, as well as with the First Minister and deputy First Minister. The Executive’s finances are also reported on by the independent Fiscal Council.

Treasury

Business: Coronavirus

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications to the (a) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, (b) Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, (c) Eat out to Help Out, (d) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, (e) Bounce Back Loan Scheme and (f) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme that were submitted with erroneous registration data; and how many and what proportion of those applications involve fraud.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of applications to the (a) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, (b) Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, (c) Eat out to Help Out, (d) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, (e) Bounce Back Loan Scheme and (f) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme that were submitted with erroneous registration data has his Department identified as involving fraud.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of erroneous registration data on its ability to recover payments from fraudulent applications to covid-19 support schemes.

John Glen: The Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support for the economy since the start of the pandemic, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK.The Government takes the issue of potential fraud relating to covid support schemes extremely seriously. Robust measures were put in place to control error and fraud in the key covid support schemes from their inception. Departments are required to disclose details of material fraud, evasion and error within their annual report and accounts, which can be found on GOV.UK. From 2021-22, departments must provide an evidenced estimate of the level of fraud and error specifically in respect of the COVID-19 related schemes they administer and the level of debt as a result of that fraud and error. In relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), HMRC prioritised getting money to those who needed it with the schemes designed to minimise fraud while not unnecessarily delaying payments. The schemes were designed to prevent fraud, both in the eligibility criteria and the claim process itself. As recovering funds lost to organised criminals is especially difficult, HMRC prioritised tackling this risk before payments were made. Eligibility has been limited to employees and the self-employed who already had a tax footprint, which gives HMRC greater confidence these are not ‘bogus’ claims falsified to look like real businesses. HMRC also put in place a series of checks on claims before they are paid so that HMRC were able to block those that are highly indicative of criminal activity. In addition, HMRC is able to investigate suspect payments that did not meet the threshold for pre-payment blocks post-payment, using their full range of civil and criminal powers and tools. In relation to the CJRS specifically, HMRC ensured that the claims service captured all the data necessary to enable post payment compliance and only accepted claims from employers known to and authenticated by HMRC. HMRC have actively prevented non-eligible employers from applying. Claimants are required to provide details of who has been furloughed and for how long, providing HMRC with clear data against which to make checks. Regarding the SEISS, claimants had to have made a 2018/19 self-assessment tax return in order to claim grants 1 to 3 and a 2019/20 tax return to claim grants 4 and 5. The amount they claim is based on tax returns previously submitted to HMRC. In addition, compliance activity is underway in respect of those claimants who have indicated on their tax returns that their self-employment has ceased, but claimed a SEISS grant. If HMRC identify grants have been claimed when the person is not eligible, then recovery of the overpaid amounts is undertaken, with appropriate penalties being issued to those most egregious of cases. HMRC have also implemented pre-claim verification checks on those customers who have submitted 2019/20 returns as newly self-employed. The purpose of these checks is to establish that the return is from a genuine person, and they are undertaking self-employed activity. Eat Out to Help Out ran for one month in August 2020. HMRC’s risk analysis identified customers whose claims indicated significantly supressed turnover and/or an inflated claim. HMRC launched a campaign aimed at encouraging these customers to repay excess claims (although where HMRC believe something is clearly egregious, they move straight to direct intervention). Customers who presented a risk following this campaign were triaged for further activity. HMRC also directly investigated around 800 of the highest risk cases. Regarding Bounce Back Loans (BBLS), lenders were required to make and maintain appropriate anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer checks. Specifically, lenders must use a reputable fraud bureau (such as The UK’s Fraud Prevention Community CIFAS’s fraud prevention and detection solution SIRA) to screen against potential or known fraudsters. If an application fails the lender’s fraud checks, the lender must not offer a loan. In addition to these lender checks, further checks include the duplicate loan check, incorporation date check and the change in director check that were introduced in June 2020. These minimum standards were agreed following consultation with PWC and lenders on what would have the biggest impact on preventing fraud while still meeting the policy objectives. Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), lenders were able to conduct full credit checks on borrowers in line with business as usual processes and thus verify the financial information provided by borrowers, with less reliance on information self-certified by the borrower (as is the case under BBLS). This reduces fraud risk by allowing lenders to assure themselves that borrowers are not providing false information in order to obtain funds.

Banks: Hong Kong

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of (a) NatWest and (b) other UK based banks that recently cast votes in the patriots only legislative council elections in Hong Kong.

John Glen: Ministers meet with a wide range of stakeholders in the course of normal business. Details of all official meetings by ministers are published on www.gov.uk.

Import Controls

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses have applied to his Department to use the simplified declaration for imports since 1 Jan 2022; how many of those applications were successful; and how many days it took on average for authorisation to be approved for those successful applications.

Lucy Frazer: Since 1 January 2022, HMRC has received 10 new applications to use the simplified customs declaration process for imports. HMRC aims to process a complete application within 60 days of receipt, with the legal deadline for this being 120 days from receipt. January’s applications are being processed in line with this target. During January, HMRC approved 35 applications, including those carried forward from the previous month, which took between 29- 54 days to approve. As of 9 February, HMRC have authorised a total of 764 businesses to use simplified customs declaration process for imports, including new applications approved this year.

Agency Workers: National Insurance Contributions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is being made available to support people employed under umbrella companies with the increase in National Insurance Contributions from April 2022.

Lucy Frazer: From April 2022 all liable employees, including individuals employed through an umbrella company, will pay the 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance contributions (NICs). NICs is a progressive tax. The Primary Threshold means that the lowest earners do not pay any NICs. The highest earning 15 per cent will pay over half of the revenues raised by the Levy and 6.1 million people earning less than the Primary Threshold (equivalent to £9,880 a year in 2022-23) will be kept out of the Levy. We recognise the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, and that is why this Government has taken steps to help. This includes reducing the Universal Credit taper rate from 63 per cent to 55 per cent, increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 per annum to make work pay, as well as freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down. In addition to this, the Government has recently announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23.

Whisky: USA

Mr David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the level of imports of bourbon whiskey from the United States to the UK for each year between 2016 to 2021.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly in its Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics, which is available here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/ It is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/?id=fe2418fe-ac77-4e16-9cbd-e7fa8a8500a2Statistics on imports of bourbon whiskey from the US between 2016 and 2021 are set out below. Calendar YearNet Mass (kg)Supplementary Unit (Litres)Value £201612,471,2215,301,56981,888,310201716,173,5126,829,720120,044,00620187,773,5223,496,93455,492,10420193,108,1821,440,31214,499,47320204,749,6872,282,67020,749,23120213,359,1072,003,13913,864,750 The figures for 2021 are provisional and cover January to November 2021. Statistics for December are yet to be published.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Chinese owned companies have benefited from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Lucy Frazer: An estimate is not available for the number of Chinese owned companies that have benefited from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). However, HMRC published a list of employers that claimed through the CJRS since December 2020 on 16 December 2021 which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-who-have-claimed-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Tax Avoidance

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to revisit its policy on the Loan Charge; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: An independent review of the Loan Charge, which was conducted by Lord Morse in 2019, concluded that it was right for the Loan Charge to remain in force and for the Government to collect the tax due. The Government accepted all but one of the 20 recommendations in the review and the Government has no plans to revisit the policy. The charge on disguised remuneration loans is targeted at contrived tax avoidance schemes which seek to avoid Income Tax and National Insurance contributions by paying users their income in the form of loans, usually via an offshore trust. This kind of tax avoidance deprives the Exchequer of funds to deliver vital public services.

Off-payroll Working

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the number of penalties issued for non compliance with IR35 regulations.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC cannot provide data that might disclose details about identifiable taxpayers. Following the 2017 reform of the off-payroll working rules in the public sector and the extension of this reform to medium and large-sized businesses outside the public sector from April 2021, HMRC undertakes compliance checks to ensure compliance with the rules. HMRC has committed to taking a light touch approach to penalties in the first year of the reform. This means that unless there is evidence of deliberate non-compliance organisations will not have to pay penalties for mistakes relating to the off-payroll working rules made during the first year, regardless of when mistakes are identified. However, organisations will need to pay any tax due as a result of any errors identified. Where HMRC does impose a penalty for ‘careless’ behaviour, they will always consider whether that penalty can be suspended.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of payments made under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme HMRC have not yet been recorded against a valid National Insurance number; what the value of those payments is; and what his most recent estimate is of when that matching process will be completed.

Lucy Frazer: The Covid-19 schemes have helped millions of people and businesses through the pandemic and were part of the collective national effort to protect jobs. The Government has been clear throughout the pandemic that we should prioritise getting money to those who need it. The schemes were therefore designed to minimise fraud while not holding up payments unnecessarily. The schemes were designed to prevent fraud before any payments were made, through the eligibility criteria set and in the design of the claims process itself. Our data and risking experts block suspicious claims that show signs of criminal activity. To qualify for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) employers needed a Pay As You Earn scheme and to submit a Real Time Information return. Additionally, for claims with 100 employees or more, employers were required to provide details of the individual employees’ wages.It is not mandatory to have a National Insurance (NI) number to be employed, therefore not all employees on furlough would have a NI number attached to a claim made by their employer for CJRS. Considering all of the above, HMRC cannot carry out the level of analysis requested and therefore cannot say what proportion of payments under CJRS have not yet been recorded against a valid NI number.

Agency Workers: National Insurance Contributions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to equalise National Insurance contributions of agency employers and employees with PAYE employers and employees.

Lucy Frazer: It is already the case that most agency workers must be treated as employees for Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) purposes by the agencies which supply them to the recipients of the workers’ services. Agencies are required to make deductions of Income Tax and employee NICs, where these are due, from the workers’ pay in the same way and at the same level as with direct employees. The agencies will also be liable to pay employer NICs, where these are due, in respect of payments to the workers.

Pensioners: Cost of Living

John McNally: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to protect pensioners at risk of financial hardship as a result of increases in the cost of energy.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. Over the last two years, the basic and new State Pension have increased by more than 5.6%. This means that from April, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £720 more in 2022/23 than if it had been up-rated by prices since 2010. That’s a rise of over £2,300 in cash terms. The overall trend in the percentage of pensioners living in poverty is a dramatic fall over recent decades. There are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty, both before and after housing costs, than in 2009/10. The Government is providing support worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next that will help households, including pensioners, with the cost of living. This includes the £9.1 billion package announced this February to help with rising energy bills. Our generous package includes a non-repayable £150 council tax rebate from April and a further reduction of £200 on energy bills in October. The £200 reduction in households’ energy bills from October will help people manage the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households. This is on top of existing support available through Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payments for households with people over State Pension age, the Warm Home Discount Scheme, and Cold Weather Payments.

Red Diesel: Excise Duties

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of duty lost because of the fraudulent use of red diesel in (a) Wales and (b) the UK.

Helen Whately: The Measuring Tax Gaps 2021 report published by HMRC sets out that the oils tax gap, which includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland diesel, is estimated at 1% (£190 million) in 2019-20, of which £150 million was in duty and a further £40 million in VAT. As set out in the annex of this report, the tax gap is driven by the misuse of rebated fuel, which is subject to a lower duty rate. The Chancellor confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government will remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022. This will help to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels and that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. The reduction in legitimate red diesel usage following these reforms coming into effect is expected to reduce the level of illegitimate use overall.

Energy: Rebates

Jill Mortimer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his proposed energy bills rebate on households with prepayment energy meters.

Helen Whately: Domestic energy customers will receive the discount regardless of their type of payment method. There are a number of different options for those on pre-payment meters to receive the £200 reduction on their energy bills this autumn. 37 per cent of pre-payment customers have remotely accessible smart meters and therefore will be able to receive the smoothing reduction automatically. For the 63 per cent who do not have remotely accessible smart meters (2.6 million households, or less than 10 per cent of overall households), they can receive their reduction via either a voucher issued via email/post, a Special Action Message (SAM) to outlets where a customer normally tops up, or via a cheque in the post. The Coalition Government took the same approach with their Electricity Rebate Scheme in 2013. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will work closely with industry and consumer groups on how best to deliver this policy, including through a public consultation in the Spring.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to support the Scotch whisky industry through proposals to reform alcohol taxation.

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the effect on the costs to (a) beer and (b) whisky consumers of proposed reforms to alcohol taxation.

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of alcohol taxation reforms with the Government's commitment that reform will support the Scotch whisky industry and the jobs its maintains.

Helen Whately: The Government has announced several changes to alcohol duty that will support the Scotch Whisky sector. At the Budget, spirits duty was frozen, making freezes continuous since 2017. As part of our alcohol duty review, the Government intends to move to a system where all products are taxed in reference to the litres of pure alcohol they contain, making the taxation of other products more consistent with Scotch. Above 8.5% ABV there is to be no differentiation between product categories, providing a more level playing field between spirits and other products. These changes will narrow the difference between Scotch, wines and high-strength ciders. Further detail about the impact of reforms on consumers will be included in a tax information and impact note when the policy is final, or near final, in the usual way.

Council Tax and Energy: Rebates

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to allow households to opt out of the (a) energy bills and (b) council tax rebate.

Helen Whately: All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills. The reduction in costs will help people with the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households. Eligible households in council tax bands A-D will receive the £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate. The rebate is non-repayable and does not impact on future council tax bills. Local authorities will provide further information on how the rebate will be administered in each area following receipt of detailed guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Energy: Park Homes

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the recent announcement of an upfront delayed payment of £200 on energy bills will apply to those living in park homes who purchase their electricity via the park home owner; and whether other support will be provided to park home residents.

Helen Whately: There are certain situations where a third party will be responsible for the bill (and be named on it). In this situation, any electricity charges are then passed onto the end user, typically through an all-inclusive rent (in the case of a landlord/tenant) or ‘pitch’ charges, e.g. for a park home. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will explore this issue further, including by gathering further information via the government consultation. Under the Warm Home Discount, currently suppliers have the option to spend up to £40 million per year on Industry Initiatives. Industry Initiatives provide valuable support to vulnerable households, including those not eligible for the rebate. The Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme is one such initiative, where customers can apply for a rebate if they live in a park home. Last summer Government consulted on reforms to the Warm Home Discount, including making Industry Initiatives mandatory from 2022/23.

Energy: Rebates

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt first-time buyers from energy loan repayments, where they buy their property after the £200 loan is applied to bills in October 2022.

Helen Whately: The policy will provide a significant reduction to bills this year whilst gas prices are at historic highs. All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills. All domestic energy consumers will pay a charge in future years. We expect households will pay this back from 2023 – when energy prices are expected to be lower - through an increase to standing charges on their bills of around £40 per annum over five years. There will be cases where changes in people’s personal circumstances mean they may not directly be the recipient of the reduction, but still pay charges in future bills, or vice versa. This is not a loan to either suppliers or households. This approach is fiscally responsible while also helping customers manage the unprecedented increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs of global prices over time.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

Helen Whately: The UK Government places additional taxes on the extraction of oil and gas, with companies engaged in the production of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf subject to headline tax rates on their profits that are currently more than double those paid by other businesses. To date, the sector has paid more than £375 billion in production taxes. All taxes are kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Energy: Rebates

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce an opt-out for people who do not want to receive his proposed £200 energy bill rebate.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enabling households to opt out of the £200 discount on their energy bills.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether an individual can decline the £200 Energy Bills Rebate.

Helen Whately: All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills. The reduction in costs will help people with the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reconsider the decision to suspend the pension triple lock in the context of rising costs of living.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. Decisions on the rates for State Pensions are made each Autumn as part of the Up-rating review by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Act 2021 temporarily suspended the earnings limb of the Triple Lock, as reported wage growth was statistically affected due to the effects of the pandemic in the labour market. In 2022/23 State Pensions will be up-rated by 3.1%, using the consistent mechanism used each year to determine the rate of price increases for pensions and benefits. The Government remains committed to implementing the Triple Lock in the usual way in 2023/24 and for the remainder of the Parliament. Over the last two years, the basic and new State Pension have increased by more than 5.6%. From April, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £720 more in 2022/23 than if it had been up-rated by prices since 2010. This is a rise of over £2,300 in cash terms. The Government recognises that many households, including pensioners, will need support to deal with rising living costs. Pension Credit tops up retirement income and is a passport to support with housing costs, council tax, heating bills, and a free TV licence for those over 75. The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit a discount on energy bills. Other support available to pensioners includes Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments. Furthermore, we have set out a generous package of support, with a non-repayable £150 council tax rebate from April and a further reduction of £200 on energy bills in October. The £200 reduction in households’ energy bills from October will help people manage the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households. Our package builds on the £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households, and the most vulnerable, including pensioners.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) Scotch Whisky distilleries and (b) reforms to alcohol taxation that widens the differential between spirits and categories such as beer and cider on (i) employment opportunities and (ii) local economies.

Helen Whately: The Government has announced several changes to alcohol duty that will support the Scotch Whisky sector. At the Budget, spirits duty was frozen, making freezes continuous since 2017. As part of our alcohol duty review, the Government intends to move to a system where all products are taxed in reference to the litres of pure alcohol they contain, making the taxation of other products more consistent with Scotch. Above 8.5% ABV there is to be no differentiation between product categories, providing a more level playing field between spirits and other products. These changes will narrow the difference between Scotch, wines and high-strength ciders. The Government is continuing to engage with interested stakeholders on these reforms. A consultation ran from 27 October 2021 to 30 January 2022, and the Government is now analysing the responses. A tax information and impact note will be published following the consultation when the policy is final, or near final, in the usual way.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Neil Coyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the impact of the proposed alcohol duty reforms on wine businesses and consumers, as compared to beer or cider drinkers.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether the 27 new bands of taxation on wine in the proposed alcohol duty reforms will result in a simplification of the existing alcohol duty system.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the differences between tax rates for different categories of alcohol and applying one basic rate per litre of pure alcohol to all categories of drinks, in order to simplify and standardise the alcohol duty system.

Helen Whately: The Government believes that the reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2021 will achieve a duty system that is simpler, fairer and better supports public health in the round. There will be one duty band for all products between 8.5%-22% ABV based on their alcohol content. This simplifies the existing system by eliminating the different duty rates for still wines, sparkling wines, spirit-based liqueurs and stronger beers, and replacing them with a single rate. In principle, the Government considers it is right to tax higher strength products a higher rate of duty per unit. Introducing one basic rate per litre of pure alcohol would fail to target higher strength products. As set out in the summary of responses published in October 2021, public health groups and economists have cited a link between cheap, high strength spirits (such as vodka) and alcohol-related harms, as the volume of drink needed to reach intoxication is smaller with higher strength drinks.The Treasury is continuing to engage with other Government departments and interested stakeholders on these reforms. A consultation ran from 27 October 2021 to 30 January 2022, and the Treasury is now analysing the responses. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) qualifying company groups and (b) merchant ships there were in the Tonnage Tax scheme in each year from 2000-01 to 2021-22.

Helen Whately: The latest data on the total number of Tonnage Tax regime participants since tax year 2016-17 can be found on GOV.UK. The data is available within the “Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2021)” publication. [1] [1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1039626/non_structural_cost_estimates_tables_december_2021.ods

Economic Cooperation: China

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he received commitments from the Chinese government on upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration ahead of the restart of the UK-China Financial and Economic Dialogue.

John Glen: The UK Government will continue to urge the Chinese authorities to adhere to their international and legally binding obligations under the Joint Declaration. We can also pursue an economic relationship with China in a safe, mutually beneficial way without compromising our values. UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogues (EFDs) provide a key mechanism for doing this. We have always been clear that our economic relationship does not come at the expense of our values, and where we have concerns, we will continue to speak out and act.

Climate Change: Development Aid

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116890, on Climate Change: Developing Countries, what support will be available for debt-vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are not eligible for debt treatment assistance under the Common Framework for Debt Treatment.

John Glen: Of the 73 low-income countries that are eligible for the Common Framework, 22 are Small Island Developing States. Countries that are ineligible for the Common Framework may still apply for a debt treatment from the Paris Club. The UK is a longstanding member of the Paris Club and has a strong record of working with international partners to assist countries on their road to longer-term debt sustainability.The UK has also committed to double our International Climate Finance to developing countries to at least £11.6bn between 2021 and 2025. We recognise that the challenge of adaptation and resilience is immediate, and often more acute for Small Island Developing States than for many other states. We will continue to balance mitigation spend with adaptation spend. Over the last 10 years, UK International Climate Finance has supported 88 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, providing 41 million with improved access to clean energy and avoided or reduced 51 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. As COP26 Presidency and G7 Presidency, we made it a priority to demonstrate progress on the goal to mobilise $100bn a year in climate finance from developed to developing countries to 2025. Under the UK COP26 Presidency, 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling their support for developing countries to take climate action. It is now likely that $500 billion will be mobilised over the period 2021-25. This means more money for developing countries to decarbonise and adapt to the impacts of climate change, including Small Island Developing States.

Climate Change: Developing Countries

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116890, on Climate Change: Developing Countries, how many of the 73 low income countries eligible for the Common Framework for Debt Treatment are Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

John Glen: To support low-income countries to tackle their debt vulnerabilities, in November 2020 the UK, alongside our G20 and Paris Club partners, agreed a new Common Framework for Debt Treatment beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative. This brings together, for the first time, G20 and Paris Club creditors to coordinate debt treatments following a request from any of the 73 eligible low-income countries. Private sector creditors will be expected to implement debt treatments on at least as favourable terms as those agreed by official creditors.  Of the 73 low-income countries that are eligible for the Common Framework, 22 are Small Island Developing States.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Swimming Pools: Closures

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding of the Swim England report, published September 2021, that 2,000 swimming pools could be lost by the end of the decade.

Nigel Huddleston: We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in swimming facilities. The Government has provided a range of support for swimming pools during the pandemic. The £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country, with 1,176 separate pools supported across 701 sites. In addition, Sport England have made 139 Covid support awards to the Swimming & Diving community (totalling £1,178,198). Beyond Covid, Sport England have awarded £24,575,700 to swimming and diving projects since January 2017, which includes £16,119,002 of funding directly to Swim England.

National Lottery: Public Appointments

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the names of the members of the Advisory Assessment Panel for the appointment of the Chair of the National Lottery Fund.

Nigel Huddleston: The appointment of the Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund is made by the Secretary of State. The appointment is made in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, which is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.Membership of the Advisory Assessment Panel has been publicly available since the campaign launched in August 2020 at https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/. The Panel for this campaign was chaired by Sam Lister, Director General for Strategy and Operations at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He was joined by Senior Independent Panel Member Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle and Emma Boggis, Vice-Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Investment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many manufacturing investment bids his Department supported in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 and (d) to date in 2022.

Lee Rowley: The Department offers a wide range of support to business, including the manufacturing sector, under a number of targeted support schemes. Full details of all awards made under these schemes are published on an annual basis via the Cabinet Office Governments Grants Information system, which covers details of all HMG support activity.

Energy Company Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assurances his Department can give to companies involved in the supply chain of the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO), that current projects will not be affected during the transition to the fourth iteration of ECO (ECO4) in April 2022.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with companies involved in the supply chain of the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO) on (a) the transition to its fourth iteration in April 2022 and (b) ensuring current projects are not stalled and cash flow isn’t disrupted.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the UK does not experience a delivery shortage of energy efficiency measures in the lead up to the implementation of the fourth iteration of the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO4).

Greg Hands: The Government has proactively engaged with industry during the drafting and analysis stages of the consultation for ECO4. The Government will issue a response to the ECO4 consultation before the end of the current scheme. This will ensure the supply chain can adequately prepare for ECO4, ahead of legislation being laid.

Post Office: Finance

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his timetable is for announcing the next funding settlement between the Government and the Post Office.

Paul Scully: A settlement letter is expected by the end of the financial year.

Companies House

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Companies House on strengthening the process of removing the personal details of people who have had their names fraudulently included in a companies registration with Companies House.

Paul Scully: We announced our plans to reform Companies House in September 2020. The reforms will ensure more reliably accurate information on the companies register, reinforced by identity verification of people who manage or control companies. Companies House will have greater powers to query and challenge information. We will bring forward legislation to implement these reforms when Parliamentary time allows. Departmental officials hold frequent discussions with Companies House counterparts on a wide range of issues, including measures we propose to take to improve the integrity of information on the companies register.

Business: Subsidies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent on business subsidies in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) January 2022.

Paul Scully: Information reported on the European Commission’s State Aid Transparency Public Search database for subsidies granted by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy only and, since January 2021, on the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s subsidy control transparency database is: (a) 2019: £15,919,618.(b) 2020: £3,756,963,591.(c) 2021: £1,677,146,697.(d) January 2022: £1,116,000. The data from 2019 and 2020 reflects subsidy awards given under the EU State aid rules. The significant increase in subsidies in 2020 and 2021 is a result of Covid-19 related business support schemes such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), which provided government-backed finance to support businesses that had been impacted by the pandemic.

Energy: Prices

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the difference in unit cost is for households using (a) energy prepayment meters and (b) paying for energy by direct debit; and what steps he is taking to reduce that cost difference.

Greg Hands: Supplier licence conditions, enforced by independent regulator Ofgem, state that the differences in price between payment methods for energy, including by prepayment meter, must reflect the cost to the supplier of that payment method. The energy price cap protects prepayment meter customers and ensures they pay a fair price for their energy.

Carbon Budgets

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including emissions embedded in imports in the UK’s carbon budgets.

Greg Hands: Carbon budgets are set and monitored in line with international carbon reporting practice, which is to measure emissions on a territorial basis. The Climate Change Committee agrees with the use of territorial emissions for the Government’s emissions reduction targets. In its ‘Reducing UK Emissions - 2019 Progress Report to Parliament’, the Committee set out that territorial emissions are the standard accounting approach for measuring emissions internationally, as this approach avoids the risks that emissions are missed or double-counted

Renewable Energy: Finance

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to implement the Contracts for Difference auction and allocation on an annual basis.

Greg Hands: On 9 February 2022, the Secretary of State announced that Contracts for Difference allocation rounds will be held on an annual basis from March 2023, when the next round (AR5) will open to applications.[1]  [1] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-02-09/hcws600

Energy Company Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans are in place to ensure commercial continuity of the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO), as it makes the transition to its next iteration (ECO4) in April 2022.

Greg Hands: The Government has proactively engaged with industry during the drafting and analysis stages of the consultation for ECO4. The Government will issue a response to the ECO4 consultation before the end of the current scheme. This will ensure the supply chain can adequately prepare for ECO4, ahead of legislation being laid.

Fuel Poverty: Standing Charges

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the level of fuel debt accumulated on prepayment meters due to the build-up of standing charges; and what steps he is taking to help prevent the accumulation of fuel debt through standing charges.

Greg Hands: Standing charges are capped under the energy price cap which is set by Ofgem to protect customers on default tariffs.In addition to the existing £12bn package, the government has announced a further package of support to help households with the rising cost of energy, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. This includes:A £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years.A £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England.£144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax rebate.

Carbon Emissions: Certification Quality Marks

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will develop and promote an international kite mark scheme to show products manufactured using low-carbon materials and methods.

Greg Hands: The Government plans to publish proposals related to low carbon labelling (such as kite marks) for manufactured products in the autumn. The supporting call for evidence Towards a market for low emissions industrial products is open for responses until 28 February[1]. The UK leads the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative with India, which is a global coalition of public and private organisations working to standardise carbon assessments and design industry guidelines. [1] Gov.uk. Towards a market for low emissions industrial products: call for evidence.

Critical Minerals Expert Committee

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113821, whether representatives from civil society (a) will be or (b) are already represented on the Critical Minerals Expert Committee.

Greg Hands: The membership of the Critical Minerals Expert Committee is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/business-secretary-opens-latest-meeting-of-the-critical-minerals-expert-committee.At the latest meeting of the Committee on 28 January 2022, officials presented plans for continuing to engage widely with the sector through a series of roundtables on specific topics. Engagement is already underway, including with civil society representatives, and the Government would welcome contact from further stakeholders.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Chief Scientific Advisers

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings he had with his Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March to 31 May 2021, (b) 1 June to 31 August 2021 and (c) 1 September to 30 November 2021.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether liaison officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office are currently permanently present in her Department's Consular Crisis Centre.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Crisis Management Department maintains constant, close contact with Partners Across Government, including through Liaison Officers, working groups and ongoing contingency planning. We currently have a number of Ministry of Defence personnel and Home Office embed working with FCDO.

Eastern Europe: Aviation

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport and representatives of International Civil Aviation Organization on the (a) security, (b) safety and (c) availability of international overflight routes transiting Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

James Cleverly: Officials in DfT and FCDO have been in close contact over the security and safety of regional airspace over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and will continue to work closely with the International Civil Aviation Organisation as necessary on this. UK carriers keep their contingency planning arrangements under review.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to her Department's Consular Crisis Centre (a) as of 9 February 2022 and (b) in each month in the last year; and whether she has plans to increase that number.

James Cleverly: The size of the consular team reflects the demands of the Department. The number is regularly reviewed to ensure we have appropriate resource in place to manage demands. This core number of staff is supplemented by volunteer cadres from across the office during periods of immediate crisis response. Numbers therefore fluctuate to meet demand and can vary month to month. Permanent staffing levels are also under regular review.

Afghanistan: Foreign Relations

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason Ministers have not yet met with Afghan government leaders to discuss the humanitarian situation in that country.

James Cleverly: FCDO officials engage and press the Taliban on our core concerns, including the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim and Deputy Head of Mission of the UK Mission to Afghanistan visited Kabul on 10 February to discuss the humanitarian crisis with senior Taliban officials including Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and Abdul Haq Wasiq.As the PM has said previously, if the Taliban wants international acceptance, then they need to abide by international norms, to ensure safe passage for those who wish to leave the country, respect the rights of women and girls and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a place where terrorism flourishes, and from which terrorist groups are able to threaten the West and our interests. At present Ministers are not engaging directly with the Taliban.

Eastern Europe: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last discussed with (a) the Home Secretary and (b) the Secretary of State for Defence the coordination of contingency evacuation plans for UK nationals, residents and visa holders currently in (i) Ukraine, (ii) Belarus and (iii) Russia.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is in continuous contact with partners across Government about contingency plans. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office updated its travel advice to Ukraine on 11 February, and is now advising British nationals against all travel to Ukraine and that British nationals currently in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available. The Embassy remains open but will be unable to provide in-person consular assistance. British nationals should leave while commercial options remain.Any Russian military action in Ukraine would severely affect the British Embassy Kyiv's, and the office in Lviv's, ability to provide any consular assistance. Travel advice is regularly reviewed.

Ukraine: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Ministry of Defence on the availability of (a) RAF Voyager and (b) other airlift capacity for contingency evacuation operations of UK nationals, residents, or visa holders resident in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is in continuous contact with Partners Across Government, including the Ministry of Defence about contingency plans. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office updated its travel advice to Ukraine on 11 February, and is now advising British nationals against all travel to Ukraine and that British nationals currently in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available. The Embassy remains open but will be unable to provide in-person consular assistance. British nationals should leave while commercial options remain.Any Russian military action in Ukraine would severely affect the British Embassy Kyiv's, and the office in Lviv's, ability to provide any consular assistance. Travel advice is regularly reviewed.

Ukraine: British Nationals Abroad

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113250, Ukraine: British Nationals Abroad, what the cost to the public purse has been of the Government's digital advertising campaigns targeted at British citizens in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: Keeping British citizens in Ukraine informed of our latest consular advice is a top priority given the volatility of the situation. Digital advertising is one of the several ways we communicate with UK nationals to ensure they have the latest consular information. We have proactively encouraged British nationals to register their presence in Ukraine through an online form to receive the latest updates. In addition we use travel advice alerts to signpost travel advice.

Cybersecurity

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking via the National Cyber Security Centre to advise on and ensure the cyber-resilience of (a) central Government and Public Agency IT systems, (b) UK companies and organisations and (c) critical national infrastructure from overt and covert hostile state threats.

James Cleverly: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issues strategic warnings, regular advisories and guidance, such as Active Cyber Defence, to individuals, organisations and government.This is part of a broader approach to Cyber resilience as set out in the National Cyber Strategy. It includes £2.6 billion of fresh investment in cyber and legacy IT over the next three years, in addition to a commitment to invest in an overhaul of government cyber security and addressing legacy IT infrastructure so that government's critical functions are significantly hardened to cyber-attack by 2025 and all government organisations are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030.Our deterrence campaigns leverage the full range of UK capabilities (diplomatic, economic, covert and overt) to influence the behaviour of malicious cyber actors.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to reply to the letter dated 22 December 2021 from the hon. Member for East Londonderry on the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations.

James Cleverly: The former Minister for Europe, Chris Heaton-Harris MP responded to the correspondence in question on 28 January. I thank the Hon. Member for East Londonderry for his engagement on this important issue.

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119771, if she will make it her policy to ensure that all UK nationals remaining in Afghanistan after the end of Operation Pitting have access to food in that country.

James Cleverly: Since 28 August 2021, the British Embassy in Kabul has suspended in-country operations. We encourage all British nationals in Afghanistan to check Travel Advice and confirm their presence using the online registration system. British nationals can continue to access consular assistance by phone on a 24/7 basis. The UK remains fully committed to supporting Afghanistan and its people. We have already announced a doubling of our humanitarian aid and development assistance commitment to Afghanistan, to £286 million. We have now disbursed over £176 million which will support over 6.1 million people in Afghanistan and the region, providing emergency food, health, shelter, water and protection. We are working at pace to allocate the remaining funding in response to the crisis and the new UN Appeal.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Languages

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in the her Department's Consular Crisis Centre speak (a) Ukrainian, (b) Russian and (c) Polish.

James Cleverly: The size of the Consular team reflects the demands of the Department. When necessary, this is supplemented by volunteer cadres from across the office, including to meet specific skills requirements.

Ukraine: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussion with the Department of Transport on the availability of commercial scheduled or charter airline capacity for contingency evacuation operations of UK nationals, residents, or visa holders currently resident in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is in continuous contact with partners across Government, including the Department of Transport about contingency plans.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government is providing to (a) UN agencies, (b) NGOs and (c) humanitarian agencies to pre-position humanitarian relief resources in the region, in the event of conflict in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK is one of the largest humanitarian and development donors globally. On 2 February, we launched the UK-led multi-donor Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, which aims to help improve delivery of public services, and increase economic opportunities and energy efficiency for citizens in the conflict-affected communities of Ukraine's eastern and southern regions. We continue to work closely with our allies and partners and stand ready to provide further assistance as needed.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what meetings officials in his Department have had with people from Southern Cameroons residing in the UK on the conflict in that country; and if he will meet with delegations from that country in the future.

Vicky Ford: The UK engages with a wide range of stakeholders on the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, including NGOs, civil society, religious leaders and academics, as well as national and local government. We believe it is important to hear first-hand accounts from the conflict and to encourage initiatives that aim to reduce human suffering and restore peace. The FCDO regularly considers its approach to stakeholder engagement for Cameroon, and how best to engage with a diverse range of voices, including the Cameroonian diaspora.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to support an organised referendum for the people of former British Southern Cameroons on their future national status.

Vicky Ford: The UK remains concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, and those affected by the crisis. The UK works closely with international partners and the Government of Cameroon to promote a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It would not be appropriate for the UK to interfere with national civil and democratic processes.

Bahrain: Detainees

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114769, if she will make an assessment of the compatibility of the statement in that Answer that Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children specifically addresses Article 37 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, and the findings of Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch report of 7 February 2022 that Bahrain continues to arbitrarily detain six children and that Bahrain should revise the Restorative Justice Law for Children.

Amanda Milling: We welcome the entry into force in August 2021 of the Restorative Justice Law for Children and support Bahraini Government efforts to ensure the law is fully and effectively implemented. It would not be appropriate to comment further on the specific case mentioned while it is sub judice. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.

Honduras: Convictions

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Honduran counterpart on the guilty verdict findings against six environmental activists for alleged crimes against a mining company in that country.

Vicky Ford: The British Embassy in Guatemala (which develops and maintains relations between the UK and Honduras) has paid close attention to the cases of individual human rights defenders in Honduras, including the cases of the environmental defenders from Guapinol. Officials from the Embassy virtually attended court hearings in December 2021, January and February 2022, as well as sharing key messages on social media calling for due process and the Rule of Law to be respected. The Embassy has also called on the Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on several occasions. We have used these meetings to raise concerns about these and other human rights defenders, and the improper use of the Penal Code to punish human rights defenders, especially in rural areas. Support for the exercise of human rights in Honduras will be a continuing priority for our Embassy.

Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to publish an annual progress report on her Department's disability inclusion strategy.

Vicky Ford: On 16 February 2022 Minister Vicky Ford launched a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy, which reaffirms the UK's commitment to disability rights and sets out a vision and approach towards 2030. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will review the strategy and delivery plans periodically.

Asia-Pacific Region: British Council

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the comprehensive spending review on the ability of the British Council to operate in the Asia Pacific region.

Amanda Milling: The unprecedented impact of the pandemic required the Government to take tough but necessary decisions on the British Council's global presence and reinforced the need for the Council to do more to adapt to a changing world. We have allocated over £600 million since the pandemic hit to secure the Council's future. Final Spending Review allocations for 2022-25 will be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process, and future programme activity in the Asia Pacific region will be determined following this.

Maira Shahbaz

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the case of Christian Pakistani girl Maira Shahbaz and her family, who have been in hiding for 18 months.

James Cleverly: It is longstanding Government policy not to comment on individual cases, where to do so may put individuals or their family members in danger.The UK condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise Freedom of Religion or Belief, women and girls' rights and gender equality at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan, including on individual cases. During his visit to Pakistan in June 2021, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia met Prime Minister Khan, as well as other senior government ministers including Foreign Minister Qureshi, and Human Rights Minister Mazari. During these meetings, Lord Ahmad highlighted the need to address persecution, promote respect for all religions and increase tolerance for religious minorities. He also met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of minorities in Pakistan, particularly the issue of forced conversion and marriage of young girls. Most recently, Lord Ahmad discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on 28 November, and on January 6 with Shaikh Hasan Haseeb Ur Rehman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, and Pir Naqeeb, custodian of the Eidgah Sharif Shrine in Rawalpindi. In addition to diplomatic engagement, the FCDO funds programmes in Pakistan that directly address early and forced marriages, gender-based violence and modern slavery.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the humanitarian response to the crisis in Afghanistan is sustainable.

James Cleverly: On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance, delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22. Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. We have now disbursed over £176 million to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to address the most urgent humanitarian needs.In addition to providing immediate assistance, we are playing a leading role in international efforts to address the multiple causes of the crisis. The provision of basic services, such as health and education, remains critical. We continue to explore solutions for service delivery. We are closely monitoring Afghanistan's economy and specifically its lack of liquidity and working with partners to seek long term solutions.

Afghanistan: World Food Programme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will allocate funding to meet 10 per cent of the cost for the World Food Programme's response to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance, delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22. Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. We have allocated £54 million to the World Food Programme and are working closely with them to ensure that food insecure adults and children receive the support they need. We have now disbursed over £176 million to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to address the most urgent humanitarian needs. We expect to make further financial allocation in the next financial year.

Development Aid: Water

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on (a) water, (b) sanitation and (c) hygiene in healthcare facilities in each of the last three years.

Amanda Milling: Annual UK bilateral ODA spend on water and sanitation, can be found in the respective Annual Statistics on International Development publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development. UK bilateral Official Development Assistance spend on water and sanitation for the last three years for which data is available was: £207 million in 2018, £176 million in 2019, and £110 million in 2020. The results for 2021 will be published in autumn this year.UK Official Development Assistance expenditure is recorded in line with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee coding. These codes do not specifically record water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) spend for healthcare facilities. However, we support WASH services in healthcare facilities in our policy work through the "WASH In Healthcare Facilities" international taskforce, through our bilateral programming such as our innovative hand hygiene partnership with Unilever, and through our core multilateral funding including via the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. We also provide funding to the UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Programme to track overall progress on Water and Sanitation, this initiative publishes data on the situation of WASH in Healthcare facilities.

Malaria: Disease Control

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2021; and whether the UK Government plans to continue its partnership with the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to help support the attainment of that Fund's global malaria targets.

Amanda Milling: The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has noted with concern the increase in the number of cases and deaths from malaria shown in the World Health Organisation's World Malaria Report 2021. Cases of malaria increased by 6% from 227 million in 2019 to 241 million in 2020 and deaths by 12% from 558,000 to 627,000. The WHO estimates that about two-thirds of the increase in deaths was due to disruptions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tackling malaria is closely linked with our ambition to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children as it predominantly impacts pregnant women and children under 5.The UK pledged £1.4 billion in the 6th replenishment (2020-2022) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, making us the 2nd largest donor. We look forward to reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th Replenishment in due course, which will include the Fund's global malaria targets.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to enshrine the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into law.

Vicky Ford: The UK remains fully committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the UK ratified in 2009. The UK as a general principle does not incorporate international treaties into domestic law. However, the rights of disabled people under this Convention are largely reflected and given effect in existing domestic policies and legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.

Development Aid: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement the disability inclusion strategy across its programming and funding to different organisations and governments.

Vicky Ford: The FCDO will launch a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy next week to mark the second Global Disability Summit. Looking to 2030, the strategy will set out how the FCDO will embed disability inclusion across its diplomacy, policy and programming.

Global Disability Summit

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what contribution her Department has made to the Global Disability Summit in February 2022.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to promoting and protecting universal rights for all, including people with disabilities. I will attend the Summit and announce a new set of UK policy commitments to take the agenda forward.

Government Departments: Wines

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113822, on which date the Bi-Annual Report on the Government Hospitality Wine Cellar 2020-22 will be published.

Vicky Ford: The Bi-Annual Report for 2020-22 will cover the period from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. Whilst there is no fixed date for publication, as production times can vary, reports are typically published in July.

Global Disability Summit

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a ministerial delegation will participate in the Global Disability Summit on 16 to 17 February 2022.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to promoting and protecting universal rights for all, including people with disabilities. I will attend the Global Disability Summit and will announce a new set of UK development commitments to take the agenda forward.

Asia-Pacific Region: Conditions of Employment and Trade Unions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support trade unions and workers rights in the Asia Pacific region.

Amanda Milling: The FCDO is fully committed to the objective of full and productive employment and decent work for all as enshrined by the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8). Through programming, diplomacy and initiatives such as the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) to improve workers' rights in global supply chains, the FCDO engages with trade unions and on workers rights across a number of fora. For example, the FCDO is part of the Sustainability Compact in Bangladesh, which brings together Government Secretaries, Ambassadors/High Commissioners, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for influential discussions on progress on labour rights conditions, workplace safety and responsible business practices. Another social dialogue programme works in 77 factories in Bangladesh, bringing together companies, suppliers and local trade unions, to improve conditions for more than 169,000 workers. Through our multi-year Work in Freedom programme with the ILO, the FCDO also works through local unions to promote workers' rights in South Asia and the Middle East, for example in the last financial year helping over 41,000 women migrant workers to organise and access support. These examples are underpinned by our wider efforts to support inclusive economic development in the region.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117894, what representations the UK has made during discussion at the Development Assistance Committee on proposals for valuing covid-19 vaccines in Official Development Assistance.

Amanda Milling: The UK has had extensive discussions with the Secretariat for the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since the first proposals were issued in November 2021, led by our UK Delegation to the OECD DAC and through the DAC Working Party on Development Finance Statistics. The DAC Secretariat has now provided guidance for reporting donations of excess COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021 in ODA. The UK is considering this guidance together with our other commitments and obligations, and is actively engaging with the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Secretariat on valuing Covid-19 vaccines in Official Development Assistance in 2021.

Gulf States: Human Rights

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 112655, what human rights topics were discussed, and whether the following matters were raised (a) human rights violations in Bahrain (b) human rights violations in Saudi Arabia (c) cases of political prisoners (d) the death penalty, and (e) Gulf states’ role in human rights abuses in Yemen, in her meetings with high-level representatives of the GCC on 20 December 2021.

Amanda Milling: A wide range of issues were discussed during the meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council representatives at Chevening House on 20 December 2021, including human rights. The UK has a strong record of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. We regularly encourage Gulf States to uphold international human rights obligations. Our close relationship with Gulf counterparts allows us to raise sensitive human rights issues, in private and in public. Our views, including our opposition to the use of the death penalty, are well known.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Bombs

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 114946, whether RAF or BAE personnel are indirectly or directly involved in the storing or issuing of munitions for the Royal Saudi Air Force.

James Heappey: As set out in my answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 114946, RAF Service personnel within The Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) operate under long-standing government-to-government arrangements, to provide advice, assurance, and assistance to the Royal Saudi Air Forces (RSAF). These activities do not include the direct involvement of RAF personnel with the storage and issue of munitions, including bombs. Similarly we understand that BAE Systems employees are not involved in supporting the RSAF’s storage and issue of munitions. Any indirect support provided by RAF or (as we understand it) BAE Systems staff is limited to offering safety advice about storage conditions for products supplied under the government-to-government agreement.

Question

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the 8 February 2022 Statutory Report of the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in that report that weapons stolen from the British Army were used in loyalist paramilitary murders.

Leo Docherty: The Police Ombudsman’s report shed further light on a series of shocking acts of terrorism that took place in the hon. Member’s constituency. The Ministry of Defence fully supported the Ombudsman in the conduct of her investigation into the attacks which took place between 1990 and 1998. It is of profound regret that stolen military weapons and ammunition were used in some of these attacks. Given the report was undertaken by the Police Ombudsman, the findings relate to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) rather than the military. However, this report demonstrates the importance of information being made available to victims of The Troubles; this remains at the heart of the Government’s approach to legacy issues.

Afghanistan: British Council

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 15 November 2021, Official Report, column 301, when he will organise a tri-departmental meeting to discuss the position of the British Council contractors in Afghanistan.

James Heappey: I apologise for the delay in arranging this meeting. Ministerial colleagues have now agreed to meet with the hon. Member. A date for the meeting has been passed to his office.

Defence: Employment

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support defence jobs across the UK.

Jeremy Quin: Our most recent estimate shows Ministry of Defence investment in industry and commerce supporting over 200,000 jobs across the UK. The £24 billion additional investment in defence, along with the changes we are making through the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, will contribute to further economic growth and prosperity, including jobs, across the Union.

Afghanistan: Repatriation

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help relocate vulnerable Afghans and British nationals from third countries to the UK.

James Heappey: The ARAP Scheme has been one of the most generous relocation programmes in the world facilitating the relocation of eligible Afghan and their families. The ACRS will also prioritise the relocation of vulnerable Afghans. We continue to work at pace with international partners to safely evacuate British Nationals and eligible Afghans through third countries.

Queen's Guards: Uniforms

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2021 to Question 85327 on Queen's Guards: Uniforms, how much his Department has spent in total on (a) procuring the bearskin ceremonial caps worn by the Queen’s Guard and (b) seeking to develop a faux fur alternative for use in the making those caps in the last seven years.

Jeremy Quin: The below table outlines the Department’s spending on Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps over the past seven years: Bearskins purchased by the MODCalendar YearCost2015£149,3792016£240,3822017£201,0712018£76,2062019£127,4402020£145,0002021£39,330 Since 2015, there have been four synthetic fur test results analysed. Where appropriate the Ministry of Defence uses faux fur alternatives, providing they meet the specific user requirements. Currently, artificial fur does not meet the necessary requirements or perform to the standard expected of fabric to be used for the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps.

USA: Sentinel Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money was returned to the public purse through the sale of the RAF's Sentinel fleet to the US.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2021 to Question 79280 to the Rt Hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (Mr Healey). Sentinel Aircraft (docx, 17.6KB)

Defence Equipment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the equipment plan.

Jeremy Quin: We published the Equipment Plan today.

Defence Equipment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a statutory requirement on the Government to publish the equipment plan.

Jeremy Quin: The Government has published an annual Equipment Plan since 2013, to provide Parliament and the public with an update on the affordability of the plan. There is no statutory requirement to publish the plan.We published a new Equipment Plan today.

Ministry of Defence: Housing

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s performance in delivering value from the defence estate.

Jeremy Quin: The value of the Defence Estate is in enabling our Armed Forces to live, work, train and deploy, to deliver military capability as outlined in the Defence Plan. While the Department can obtain financial value from the estate by allowing third party use where appropriate where assets are not required long term for Ministry of Defence use we dispose of surplus sites in line with Treasury value for money requirements.

Defence: Employment

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support defence jobs across the UK.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) most recent estimate, based on MOD expenditure data in conjunction with data from the Office of National Statistics, shows over 200,000 jobs across the UK are supported as either a direct or indirect result of MOD expenditure with UK industry and commerce. Continued high and focussed investment into defence, together with the changes we are making as part of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, will contribute to further economic growth and prosperity, including jobs, across the Union.

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps is he taking to ensure (a) the effectiveness and (b) value for money from his Department's expenditure.

Jeremy Quin: Aided by our £24 billion spending settlement, the Department remains committed to delivering value for money through new streamlined processes and developing our industry contracts with a focus on delivery. We will balance our ambition with the financial reality, drive value and improved productivity and maintain a rigorous focus on living within our means to ensure that we manage this generous settlement well and deliver value for taxpayer money.  Our approach is predicated on meeting the threats we face and at the pace required to keep us safe. We are working to strengthen our mechanisms to drive and assure value for money. We are instigating improvements in programme delivery, procurement, and acquisition to manage complexity, risk, and the pace of technological change affordably and rigorously.

Queen's Guards: Uniforms

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to develop a suitable replacement for the real bear fur currently used to make the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out all of the requirements which need to be met in order for a material to be considered as a viable alternative to the real bear fur currently used to make the Queen’s Guard’s ceremonial caps.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any alternative materials to replace the real bear fur used to make the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps have passed all of the requirements which need to be met in order to be considered a viable replacement.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many alternative options to replace the real bear fur currently used to make the Queen's Guards ceremonial caps have been considered; and which of the required criteria each of those options failed on.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any alternative materials to replace the real bear fur used to make the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps have passed all but the visual assessment criterion to be considered a viable replacement to the material currently used.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2021 to Question 85327, on Queen's Guards: Uniforms, what the five requirements for a faux fur to be considered a viable alternative to bearskin for the ceremonial caps for the Queen’s Guard are; and when he last provided those requirements to manufacturers or suppliers of faux fur.

Jeremy Quin: There is currently no faux fur alternatives that meet the required standard for the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps. Bears are never hunted to order for use by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Our suppliers source pelts made available by the Canadian authorities following a licensed cull as part of a programme to manage the wild bear population.Where appropriate the MOD uses faux fur alternatives for ceremonial wear, providing they meet the specific user requirements. In order for an alternative fabric to be considered for use in the ceremonial caps, it would need successfully he performin the following five areas: water absorption, penetration, appearance, drying rate and compression. In addition to passing initial laboratory tests, any new fabric would have to gain user approval for shape and comfort for a parade length of duty. This would assess whether the fabric could maintain its shape over timeand whether it is comfortable and safe for the user. For example ensuring any waterproof backing is breathable and whether the alternative fabric is waterproof after the shaping, sewing and perforation during production . Consideration would also be given to its sustainability compared to the current natural fur fabric. There have been four synthetic furs tested since 2015. The artificial fur tested in 2018 failed in all five areas. Tests conducted in 2019 and 2020 on another two samples showed that, while the water penetration was reduced, it still did not meet the necessary standard. It also performed poorly in the remaining areas. The most recent test results, provided by PETA, have also been analysed . The analysis concluded that the fabric only met one of the five basic requirements necessary to be considered as a viable alternative for ceremonial caps. While it met the basic standard for water penetration, it showed unacceptable rates of water shedding and performed poorly on the visual assessment. Results for the artificial fur’s drying rate and compression were not presented .

Australia: Defence and Security

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen security and defence cooperation with Australia.

James Heappey: As a partner of 50 years in the Five Power Defence Arrangements and fellow Five Eyes country, Australia is an indispensable friend in the Indo-Pacific.The Defence Secretary recently returned from a UK-Australia ministerial dialogue where he agreed concrete steps to deepen strategic defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, enabled by additional deployments and facilitated by an enhanced British Defence Staff in Canberra. Alongside these, AUKUS is a further demonstration of our commitment to Australia, and to Indo-Pacific security more widely.

Cybersecurity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect the UK from cyber attack by (a) Russia and (b) other parties.

James Heappey: At a national level, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides advice to UK Government and industry on actions to take in response to cyber threats. In the context of current tensions, the NCSC has updated its guidance to strengthen cyber security and resilience, and offers a range of free cyber security tools and services as part of its Active Cyber Defence programme.The Ministry of Defence has heightened its posture against cyber threats, is taking steps to harden its networks and systems, and is reinvigorating the workforce's cyber awareness.

NATO: Eastern Europe

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

James Heappey: The UK continues to actively support its Allies on NATO's Eastern flank. On 10 February the Prime Minister announced a further uplift of UK Defence support to Eastern Allies, including doubling the number of UK troops in Estonia, deploying more RAF aircraft to Southern Europe, and deploying HMS Trent and a Type 45 Destroyer to the Eastern Mediterranean. A further 1,000 UK troops have been placed at readiness to support a humanitarian response in the region should one be required. This builds on a previous announcement to deploy up to 350 Royal Marines to Poland. The UK's commitment to European security is immovable and unconditional. We will continue to strengthen our collective deterrence and defence, whilst also pursuing opportunities for dialogue and de-escalation.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS608 on Ukraine Update, made on 10 February 2022, when he expects shipments of body armour, helmets and combat boots to Ukraine to be completed.

James Heappey: Delivery of the items in the Defensive Equipment Package announced in the Written Ministerial Statement of 10 February 2022 has been completed. This material was supplied at the request of the Ukranian Government, and enhanced their existing capabilities.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS608 on Ukraine Update, made on 10 February 2022, how many items of (a) body armour, (b) helmets, and (c) combat boots will the UK Government supply to Ukraine.

James Heappey: The Defensive Equipment Package announced in the Written Ministerial Statement of 10 February 2022 included: 2,000 sets of body armour; 2,000 helmets; and 2,000 pairs of combat cold weather boots. This package, requested by the Ukrainians, complements the training and capabilities that Ukraine already has and those that are also being provided by the UK and other allies in Europe and the United States.

Humanitarian Aid: Military Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will develop a humanitarian unit, within the armed forces. to specifically focus on providing assistance to humanitarian disasters.

James Heappey: As outlined in the Defence Command Paper, the Armed Forces will continue to play a role in building resilience and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. For example, Defence will support deployments to the Atlantic and Caribbean during the annual hurricane season, as well as providing specialist and rapid support, as seen during the Armed Forces' response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014.Following the Spending Review, the Government committed to increasing defence spending by over £24 billion over the next four years. This will support advanced capabilities and deliver new equipment for warfighting, humanitarian and disaster relief operations.

Kenya: Explosions

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the possibility of UK military equipment being involved in the explosion that killed Ldisiwa Lekesier in Laikipia County, Kenya on 31 December 2019.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has reviewed its files and is not aware of any possibility of UK military equipment being involved in the explosion that killed Ldisiwa Lekesier in Laikipia County, Kenya on 31 December 2019.

NATO

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116852 on NATO, how many staff in his Department and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have worked on engagement with NATO in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: This information is not held centrally but could only be provided at Disproportionate Cost.The Government's policy towards NATO is co-ordinated by the Euro-Atlantic Security Policy Unit (EASP), a joint MOD-FCDO unit which was established in October 2016 to bring together the work previously handled by separate MOD and FCO teams. Staffing on NATO since 2010 has fluctuated around the 30-mark in total across the two departments, expanding when required to deliver major events such as the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales and the 2019 NATO Leaders' meeting in London.In the Ministry of Defence, responsibility for EASP falls within the Euro-Atlantic Security Directorate, and in the FCDO within the Directorate for Defence and International Security.The policy team at the UK's Joint Delegation to NATO numbers around 50.

Defence Business Services: North West

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to make a decision on the Defence Business Services' workplace programme for the North West.

Leo Docherty: The full business case will be submitted for approval in May 2022. The result is expected to be announced in early July 2022.

Army Reserve

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) recruiting and (b) retention of the Army Reserve officer corps.

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of the officer corps of the Army Reserve.

Leo Docherty: The new Army Reserve under 'Future Soldier' is being delivered through the Army Reserve Transformation programme. This will implement measures to improve recruitment and retention across the Whole Reserve Force, including resetting policy and culture, developing a fit-for-purpose Army Reserve estate, and delivering an Army Reserve which gives its people a sense of purpose and belonging.

COP26

COP26: Chief Scientific Advisers

Greg Clark: To ask the President of COP26, how many meetings he had with his Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March to 31 May 2021, (b) 1 June to 31 August 2021 and (c) 1 September to 30 November 2021.

Alok Sharma: The Chief Scientific Adviser and his team attended COP26. The COP26 Unit draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

Coal

Rachael Maskell: To ask the President of COP26, what progress he has made since the COP26 conference on ending the use of coal.

Alok Sharma: At COP26, all parties agreed to phase down the use of coal for the first time ever. The Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement gained over 70 signatures from countries, subnationals, and organisations, and the Powering Past Coal Alliance grew to 165 members.In 2022, the UK COP Presidency remains fully committed to consigning coal power to history. The Energy Transition Council will run until at least 2025, and is ensuring that countries can access investment in clean power that is more attractive than new coal plants. We are working with international partners to secure more signatories to the UN No New Coal Power Compact and the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The UK will also support the implementation of ambitious announcements made at COP26, including the South Africa Just Energy Transition Partnership, the Green Grids Initiative, and the Just Transition Declaration. We must accelerate action to cut the global new coal plant pipeline, and to retire existing coal generation capacity.

Climate Change: Development Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the President of COP26, what progress he has made on securing additional funding for climate change initiatives in developing countries ahead of COP27.

Alok Sharma: By COP26, 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new, climate finance commitments to support developing countries. These have delivered significant progress towards the $100 billion goal, which will be reached by 2023 and continue rising through to 2025. It is now likely that $500 billion will be mobilised over the period 2021-25.Parties agreed to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025. Parties also made new pledges to the Adaptation Fund of over $350m, around three times the previous highest level, and contributions to the Least Developed Country Fund worth $600m. The UK, with Fiji, also initiated the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance which will run trials with five developing countries to support faster, easier access to climate finance. The UK committed £100 million to support implementation of the Taskforce’s approach. Mobilising finance to developing countries remains a top priority for the UK COP Presidency in 2022.

Department for International Trade

Trade Barriers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to her Department's press release of 26 November 2021, DIT removes 20% more trade barriers to unlock major markets for British business, what assessment she has made of the effect of removal of 217 trade barriers across 74 countries in 2020–21 on British trade.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Reducing trade barriers enables countless British businesses to export goods and services around the world with greater ease and at lower cost. Specific analysis of 66 barriers that the Department for International Trade resolved in the last financial year showed they were linked to £2.9 billion of exports. In total, we resolved 217 barriers in the last financial year and we continue to remove barriers to help businesses benefit from the related trading opportunities. Recent successes include securing access for poultry meat to Japan, estimated to be worth £65million over the first 5 years of trade, a particular benefit for farmers and producers in Northern Ireland, along with others across the United Kingdom.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning the Law Commission to consider draft proposals to change the criminal law relating to certain conversion practices.

Mike Freer: Our focus is on developing a new robust policy and legislative ban which protects all LGBT people from this abhorrent practice. We continue to work closely with a range of stakeholders, including various criminal justice experts and the Ministry of Justice.

Department for Transport

Electric Scooters

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what policies he plans to introduce to (a) tackle the potential dangers caused by e-scooter use and (b) prevent their illegal use.

Trudy Harrison: The Department for Transport is considering options for how best to regulate e-scooters and crack down on their illegal use. New measures being considered will be designed to create a much clearer, fit for purpose and fully enforceable regime for e-scooters and other micromobility vehicles, including robust construction and use requirements and relevant offences.Enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed to tackle illegal riding of e-scooters is an operational matter for Chief officers according to local policing plans. The Government will continue to support the police by ensuring they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation including those relating to electric scooters.

Roads: Accidents

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of publishing vehicle type data as part of detailed crash data currently published by his Department.

Trudy Harrison: Information on the type of vehicles involved in reported road accidents is included in the Department’s Reported Road Casualty statistics and the detailed datasets which are made available on data.gov.uk alongside this publication.This information comes from the STATS19 dataset of accidents reported by the police, including via the Collision Recording and Sharing (CRaSH) system.

Roads: Accidents

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s Road Policing Review: call for evidence in July 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the finding that since 2010, road collision statistics and the numbers of fatal injuries and serious injuries from road collisions have plateaued.

Trudy Harrison: The Roads Policing Review was part of the Government’s response to the plateauing of road casualties since 2010. The review has brought together 16 organisations to look at the policing of our roads and how that can improve road safety. These include DVLA, DVSA, The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. The Review is identifying ways to increase capability and capacity across a range of agencies. This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety.The call for evidence saw 149 responses submitted. We will publish once we have given the responses our full consideration.

Cycling and Walking: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to make York a centre of excellence for walking and cycling in response to the Government's announcement that Active Travel England's headquarters will be located in York.

Trudy Harrison: Active Travel England will work closely with local transport authorities across England to deliver high quality, fully accessible walking and cycling infrastructure which works for everyone. The Department has no current plans to designate any particular cities as centres of excellence for walking and cycling.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timetable is for announcements following the Active Travel tranche 3 bids submitted in 2021.

Trudy Harrison: The Department will confirm whether or not local authorities are in line to receive funding as soon as possible and hopes to make an announcement on this matter shortly.

Cycling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to improve provisions for cyclists.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is making a number of legislative and statutory changes to make it easier for local authorities to increase cycling and walking rates. Regulations currently before Parliament are due to come into force on 31 May that will enable local authorities to apply for designated powers to issue civil penalties to those driving in mandatory cycle lanes. The regulations will be supported by statutory guidance. Mayors in England will be given more powers to manage their Key Route Networks, allowing them to introduce more cycle infrastructure in their city regions. The recent changes which Parliament approved to The Highway Code are also designed to bring about a positive shift in road user behaviour towards those who walk, cycle and ride horses.As required by the Infrastructure Act 2015, the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) will be published in the spring and will give a statutory basis to the vision outlined in the Prime Minister’s 2020 Gear Change plan. The Strategy will set out the financial resources available for walking and cycling and the other matters required by the Infrastructure Act 2015, including objectives for walking and cycling.

Driving Under Influence: Prosecutions

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to review trends in the of levels of prosecution of drug driving.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is committed to tackling drivers under the influence of drugs and ensuring that all such drivers are caught and punished.We have a combined approach of tough penalties and rigorous enforcement, along with our highly respected and effective THINK! Campaigns.The Government is progressing a three-year review into roads policing and traffic enforcement. The Department for Transport will be looking at this with the Home Office, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. We aim to identify ways of increasing capability and capacity across a range of agencies. This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety.

Drugs: Driving Under Influence

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report, Drug driving: the tip of the iceberg, published by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, if he will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of that report that (a) 44 per of drug driving offences are committed by a reoffender and (b) 67 per cent of those convicted of drug driving had one or more previous conviction; and what steps his Department plans to take in response to that matter.

Trudy Harrison: In the Department for Transport Road Safety Statement 2019 the Government announced that we are considering a proposal for a scheme for drug-driving offenders that is similar to the High-Risk Offenders scheme for the worst drink-drive offenders. The Department is working on this matter.We will be conducting a call for evidence on parts of the Road Traffic Act 1988. It is expected that we will be in a position to publish this later this year.While details are still being worked up as to its scope, it is expected that it will include drink and drug driving offences, and the offence of failure to stop and report.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 16 September 2020 to Question 88859 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, for what reason the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline showing the status of rail enhancement schemes has not been published since October 2019; whether it remains his policy to publish such updates on an annual basis; if he will correct the Answer provided to Question 88859; and if he will make a statement.

Wendy Morton: We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.

Cycling: Highway Code

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 115826 on Cycling: Highway Code, whether the advice to cyclists to ride in the centre of the lane in certain situations, permits and encourages cyclists to do so in situations where a dedicated lane is available for use by cyclists alongside the carriageway and (b) by what means the number of (i) accidents and (ii) road-rage incidents, arising from cyclists obstructing the carriageway, will be recorded.

Trudy Harrison: Cycle lanes offer cyclists an alternative to cycling in the main carriageway and The Highway Code encourages their use where provided. However, it is not compulsory for cyclists to use them, and the Government has no plans to change this. The majority of cyclists generally use cycle lanes, but there are times when it may be more appropriate for them to use the main carriageway, such as when they are overtaking slower cyclists or avoiding obstructions in the cycle lane, or where it offers a faster, more direct route.We do not have any plans to record incidents arising from cyclists riding in the middle of the lane, as the recent update to The Highway Code simply reinforces the safe and responsible advice being given to cyclists for many years through the national standard for cycle training.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.

Wendy Morton: We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.

Railways: Concessions

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to provide free rail passes to all people who reach state pension age in the UK.

Wendy Morton: The Senior Railcard already allows over 60s to take advantage of 1/3 off most rail fares. In addition, there are a number of more local concessionary passes that are valid on national rail, such as the travel pass for older people in Greater Manchester.

Heathrow Airport

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2022 to Question 110499, in what form his Department holds the data on the number of flights with no or very few passengers landing at Heathrow airport in order to retain slots.

Robert Courts: The Department holds the data on the number of flights with no or very few passengers based on figures collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on commercial flight operations. The Department does not hold data on the purpose of these flights operated. Flights may operate with a low number of passengers for a range of reasons and we are not able to identify whether any of these were flown specifically to retain slots.I previously provided an answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 119801 on number of empty or almost empty international departing passenger flights.

Aviation: Hounslow

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the number of flights with little or no passengers, which fly over airspace in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Robert Courts: The Department does not hold statistical data on flights entering UK airspace. Data on commercial air services collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) only covers flights departing and arriving at UK airports and therefore does not include flights that pass-through UK airspace without landing at a UK airport.

Heathrow Airport

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with officials at Heathrow airport on the number of flights arriving at Heathrow airport with few or no passengers on board.

Robert Courts: My officials and I regularly engage with Heathrow Airport and work constructively together on many of the cross-cutting issues.A targeted consultation took place between 15 November to 13 December 2021 with airports, airlines and aviation industry bodies, including Heathrow Airport about alleviation from normal slot usage rules for the Summer 2022 season.

Manchester Metrolink: Bolton

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the feasibility study into the connection of Bolton to the Greater Manchester Metrolink network will be (a) completed and (b) published.

Wendy Morton: In November 2020, this Government awarded up to £50,000 of Restoring Your Railway Ideas funding to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case to reinstate passenger services on the Bolton-Radcliffe/Bolton-Bury line. The Department has been working with the promoter and we expect the SOBC to be submitted in March.

Blue Badge Scheme: Eligibility

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to extend eligibility for disabled parking badges to people with short-term disabilities.

Wendy Morton: The Blue Badge scheme is primarily about helping those with permanent mobility issues access the goods and services they need to use. Anyone may be entitled to a badge if they meet the eligibility criteria. The Department has no plans to amend the current eligibility criteria.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will add Blue Badge holders to the list of exemptions from the restrictions of the ULEZ as a precondition to any further funding for TFL.

Wendy Morton: Transport in London is devolved and the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). This includes management of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and which discounts and exemptions there are from the scheme.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to maintaining and repairing public electric car charging points to date.

Trudy Harrison: Most public chargepoints are commercial assets where maintenance and repair are the responsibility of the chargepoint provider. Operational contracts agreed between local authorities and commercial chargepoint providers should include provision of maintenance for their operational lifespan. The Government does not record data on public chargepoint maintenance and repair costs.The Government will provide over £1.3 billion over the next four years to support the continued roll-out of chargepoints on motorways and major A roads, in homes and businesses, and on residential streets.The Government is working with industry to improve the consumer experience across the UK’s charging network. Following consultation, we recently announced plans to lay secondary legislation this year to mandate a new reliability metric to ensure that consumers can rely on the charging network.

Shipping: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the number of UK Ratings who were trained on tonnage tax qualifying vessels in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Robert Courts: The Department does not record this data as it is the total number of training months a company completes that determines whether it has met its minimum training obligation (MTO) under the tonnage tax regime. As the MTO can be satisfied by the training of both UK and EEA seafarers, no distinction based on nationality is required in the information supplied by the companies/groups within the current UK Tonnage Tax scheme.

Roads: Safety

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 105490, on what date his Department expects to receive the report on road safety targets commissioned by his Department in conjunction with WSP and Loughborough University.

Trudy Harrison: The report has been received by the Department for Transport and will be published in full in due course.

Shipping: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Officer Cadets entered training on Tonnage Tax qualifying ships in each year from 2000-01 to 2021-22.

Robert Courts: The following table gives the number of officer cadets recorded as having commenced training in the end of period returns that companies in the UK Tonnage Tax scheme are required to submit.New Starters2003/046212004/055712005/065622006/076582007/088542008/099252009/107022010/118502011/129032012/137762013/147902014/158192015/167522016/177372017/186842018/196052019/206212020/21460

Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Rail Franchise

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the statement in the letter dated 2 November 2021 from the Minister of State for Transport to the Transport Select Committee that the outputs of the investigations into the failure of London & South Eastern Railway Limited to declare over £25 million of taxpayer's money will be a relevant factor in respect of decisions on the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern contract due to expire on 1 April 2022, whether the LSER investigations will report before 1 April 2022; by what date he requires the outcomes of those investigations for them to be included as a relevant factor in respect of his decision on the TSGN contract; if he will make it his policy to bring the operation of the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise into public hands; and if he will make a statement.

Wendy Morton: The Independent Committee, formed by the Chairs of London and Southeastern Railway’s joint-owning groups, Go-Ahead and Keolis, has now provided the Department with its final report. The Department is carefully considering the contents of the final report and next steps are being worked through as a priority with key decisions expected to be confirmed shortly. The Department continues to progress discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on a new National Rail Contract to operate Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise, but the outputs of the final report will help determine if it is appropriate to enter into this contract.

Shipping: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the total number of Officer Cadets that had completed training on Tonnage Tax qualifying ships since the scheme was introduced up to 30 June 2021.

Robert Courts: The Department does not record this data as it is the total number of training months a company completes that determines whether it has met its minimum training obligation (MTO) under the tonnage tax regime.

Trailers: Driving Instruction

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department (a) is offering and (b) plans to offer financial support to driving instructors following changes to the BE driving licence.

Trudy Harrison: The changes to BE licensing rules are amongst 32 different actions the Government is taking to increase the number of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and the number of tests available.All car drivers wishing to tow a trailer or caravan for leisure or business are still encouraged to undertake voluntary training through an accreditation scheme the trailer industry and training providers are developing with support from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. This will include training for those who tow for leisure and for business requirements.Responses from the consultation indicated that many drivers who are required to tow as part of the work they do, will continue to take training, and that employers, as part of their corporate responsibility, insurance requirements and health and safety compliance, will also require their employees to undertake appropriate training. As such there will continue to be a market for trailer towing training.Businesses that have been affected by the BE changes are advised to seek further advice and support from the Business Support Line at www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline.

Department for Education

Children: Coronavirus

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the (a) extent and (b) nature of children’s behavioural, social, and emotional recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research he has commissioned on the extent and nature of children’s behavioural, social, and emotional recovery after the covid-19 pandemic.

Will Quince: The department collects information on children’s behaviour and emotional and social wellbeing through several surveys. We have used these alongside additional research to monitor the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and recovery.Our third annual State of the Nation Report, published 8 February 2022, brings together data from these and external research to identify trends in children and young people‘s mental health. It also documents wellbeing recovery over the course of the 2020/21 academic year, as well as their views about society and the future. The findings show that overall, children’s wellbeing has remained largely stable across previous years. However, increasing COVID-19 prevalence rates and changing restrictions and school closures have coincided with fluctuation in levels of wellbeing throughout the period covered by the report.The full report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.

Special Educational Needs: Mental Health Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Mental Health Support Teams model for delivery in SEN schools.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to amend the Mental Health Support Teams model to ensure that it is fit for purpose in SEN schools.

Will Quince: As part of the government response to the consultation published in July 2018, a commitment was made to establish new mental health support teams (MHSTs), working in or near schools and colleges. The full consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.The interim report of the independent evaluation into the first 25 MHST trailblazer sites testing out new ways of supporting children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs in educational providers was published in July 2021. This can be found here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/brace/publications.aspx.Findings included that 89% of local service models were underpinned by a clear understanding of local needs and had been designed to take all groups of children and young people into account. In some cases the ‘standard’ MHST interventions were felt to be less suitable and effective for some groups including younger age children, children who were self-harming, children with special educational needs, and vulnerable and disadvantaged children. The core functions of the MHST model are to deliver specific interventions for mild to moderate mental health needs, to support education settings including special schools to develop their holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing. It is also to facilitate access to appropriate external specialist services to help children and young people get the right support and stay in education.The department is clear that local service providers must carefully consider health inequalities and disadvantage when deciding how an MHST is structured. It must also work with each education setting to scope out and co-design the support offer required to ensure it reflects the needs of pupils and students, the setting, and the local system.MHSTs may, with local partners, develop thematic or specialist teams to work with specific types of settings or needs, and some have now adapted their offer to provide tailored support in special schools. The department will look to build on learning from their approach, as well as findings from the independent evaluation, to support understanding of how best to meet the needs of settings and children and young people in special schools.

Special Educational Needs: Ethnic Groups

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish by ethnicity the number of children in England who attended Alternative Provision in (a) 2018-2019, (b) 2019-2020 and (c) 2020-21.

Will Quince: The department collects data on two types of alternative provision:Local authority maintained establishments providing alternative provision are often referred to as pupil referral units. There are also an increasing number of alternative provision academies and free schools and these are combined in our statistics. This data is collected through the school census. Data on local authority funded alternative provision is collected via the alternative provision census. This includes pupils attending establishments not maintained by a local authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees or educated otherwise under arrangements made (and funded) by the authority. The department publishes the number of children by ethnicity attending pupil referral units (including academy and free school alternative provision) here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aeafd962-176c-47de-881b-2db8c3f3b03a.The department also publishes the number of children attending local authority funded alternative provision here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5af932da-c31b-4a7d-9fee-682b14326651.

Special Educational Needs: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s SEND Money Survey, published on 7 February 2022, what steps he is taking to prevent families with disabled children from having to pay for essential support for their children’s development privately.

Will Quince: In July 2021 the government published the National Disability Strategy, setting out a range of commitments over supporting children and young people with disabilities in their education and preparation for adulthood.The department is providing over £42 million during this financial year 2021-22 to continue funding projects to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This investment will ensure that specialist organisations around the country can continue to help strengthen local area performance, support families and provide practical support to schools and colleges. It will strengthen participation of parents and young people in the SEND system, ensuring they have a voice in designing policies and services and have access to essential support. This also includes £27.3 million in the financial year 2021-22 to support families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children.Additionally, councils will be funded £30 million for the next three years to set up more than 10,000 additional respite placements, helping to provide positive opportunities for disabled children and young people.The department is conducting a review of the SEND system and looking at ways to make sure the system is more consistent, high quality, and integrated across education, health and care. The outcome of that review will be published as a green paper for full public consultation in the first quarter of this year.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 November 2021, HCWS421 on Update on Early Years Funding, what the total funding allocated for the early years entitlement is (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 November 2021, HCWS421 on Update on Early Years Funding, what assessment he has made of the real terms impact of that additional funding in the context of increasing inflation and costs for providers.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 November 2021, HCWS421 on Update on Early Years Funding, if he will set out the projected population estimate his Department has used when calculating funding for (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

Will Quince: Since the announcement at the Spending Review last year, we have made it clear in public communications, including the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 November 2021, that the investments in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 are all individually in comparison to the current year (2021-22).This investment reflects anticipated cost pressures such as inflation and changes in the number of children as forecast at the time of the Spending Review.For 2022-23 we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 21p an hour for the two-year-old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 17p an hour for the three and four-year-old entitlement.The department bases its population estimates on the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ONS data projects the 0-4 year old population will decrease by around 5% from mid-2022 to mid-2025. This is key information that needs to be taken into consideration in order to provide an accurate picture of what the funding settlement means.We expect to announce the early years funding rates for local authorities for 2023-24 in autumn 2022 (and the following autumn for 2024-25), ahead of local authorities starting their business planning rounds for the respective financial years.

National Tutoring Programme

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will exercise the right set out in the National Tutoring Programme contract with Randstad to require additional granularity in the breakdown of tutoring packages delivered by region; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Tutoring Programme contract with Randstad, whether the current breakdown of tutoring packages reflects the minimum requirements in the contract for tutoring packages to be delivered as set out, that is (a) South East five per cent; (b) London eight per cent; (c) North West seven per cent; (d) East of England four per cent; (e) West Midlands six per cent; (f) South West three per cent; (g) Yorkshire & the Humber five per cent; (h) East Midlands four per cent and (i) North East 3 per cent.

Mr Robin Walker: The department will continue to monitor and take targeted action in areas with low levels of tutoring. A second application round for tutoring organisations in November was designed to increase capacity in these areas. These organisations are now in post and active, focused on increasing capacity and delivery in these areas from January 2022. For example, in the North East there were previously three accredited tutoring organisations, this has doubled to six, making tutoring far more accessible to schools and increasing capacity. Randstad has bespoke communication plans for each region, the department continues to refine these with Randstad so that all useful channels, including local press, are fully engaged.National participation data has been published for the first term of this year; the department has committed to publish participation data on a regular basis to explain the programme's progress. Regional delivery is reviewed regularly for operational purposes and to ensure supply is available where it is needed, and the department is considering the practicalities of publishing regional data.

Primary Education: Pupil Exclusions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the proportion of primary schools in England which excluded five or more children from state school in the years (a) 2018-2019, (b) 2019-2020 and (c) 2020-2021.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the proportion of secondary schools in England which excluded five or more children from state school in the years (a) 2018-2019, (b) 2019-2020 and (c) 2020-2021.

Mr Robin Walker: The attached table shows the number and percentage of schools in England with five or more permanent exclusions.This information has been calculated from the published data on the numbers and rates of permanent exclusions and suspensions in the National Statistics release “Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England”, available to view here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england.In the open data section, the file on permanent exclusions and suspensions by geographic area includes school level data. Data is not yet available for the academic year 2020/21, this is due to be published in July 2022. 120849_120850_table (pdf, 99.6KB)

Department for Education: Energy

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of his Department's budget is spent on energy bills.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what energy supplier supplies gas and electricity to his Department's offices at Sanctuary Buildings.

Michelle Donelan: In the 2020-21 financial year the department spent approximately £1.83 million on energy bills. This is less than 1% of the department’s budget.The Government Property Agency procures energy through the Crown Commercial Services energy frameworks. Electricity is supplied to Sanctuary Buildings by EDF and gas is supplied by Corona Energy.

Department for Education: Chief Scientific Advisers

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings he had with his Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March to 31 May 2021, (b) 1 June to 31 August 2021 and (c) 1 September to 30 November 2021.

Michelle Donelan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education had meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor on the following dates:0 meetings between 1 March 2021 to 31 May 20210 meetings between 1 June 2021 to 31 August 20211 meeting between 1 September 2021 to 30 November 2021Furthermore, following the department’s Chief Scientific Advisors regular attendance at the Scientific Advisor Group for Emergencies (SAGE), advice is shared with the Secretary of State, ministers and senior officials consistently via email.

Platinum Jubilee 2022: Publications

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the estimated total cost to the public purse of publishing and distributing a commemorative book to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in Wales.

Mr Robin Walker: The published value of the contract, which is being funded by the department, is £12 million to develop, print and distribute sufficient books for all children in primary state funded education across the UK. Costs have not been broken down on a country by country basis. We are producing a near double-length bilingual book for Wales which will cost the UK government more to produce than single language versions.

Special Educational Needs: Attendance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the attendance rate was for children attending alternative provision in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Mr Robin Walker: The department collects data on two types of alternative provision:Local authority maintained establishments providing alternative provision are often referred to as pupil referral units. There are also an increasing number of alternative provision academies and free schools and these are combined in our statistics. This data is collected through the school census. Data on local authority funded alternative provision is collected via the alternative provision census. This includes pupils attending establishments not maintained by a local authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees or educated otherwise under arrangements made (and funded) by the authority. The department publishes the absence rates of pupils attending pupil referral units (including academy and free school alternative provision) at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/70f42a79-a916-45bd-a4c0-ae22ff27356f. No absence data is collected for pupils attending local authority funded alternative provision. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, absence data for the full academic year 2019/20 is not available. The full year absence data for 2020/21 will be published on 24 March 2022.

Education: Standards

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle inequalities in education outcomes in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Mr Robin Walker: Enabling every child, irrespective of their background, to realise their potential at school has been at the centre of this government’s education policy since 2010. The department is committed to supporting all disadvantaged pupils in England and has put in place several significant policy measures to help schools address the barriers to success that these pupils face. Since 2011, we have been providing extra funding, £2.6 billion this year alone, through the pupil premium, for school leaders to boost the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils.Information about allocations of pupil premium at a national, local authority and parliamentary constituency level is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2021-to-2022.More than £6.82 million of pupil premium funding is being allocated to eligible schools in the Coventry North East constituency over the course of the 2021/22 financial year.Schools in the Coventry local authority are being allocated pupil premium funding of nearly £18.5 million in the 2021/22 financial year. Eligible schools in the West Midlands will receive over £327 million.To ensure schools have the tools to make effective use of this funding, the department established the £137 million Education Endowment Foundation. It carries out extensive research to produce guidance reports for schools setting out how they can use the additional funding to best improve their disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes.In addition to protecting pupil premium funding rates, the department has announced additional funding of nearly £5 billion since June 2020 to support education recovery for children and young people in schools, colleges and early years education providers.Recovery programmes have been designed to allow early years, school and college leaders to support those pupils most in need, including the most disadvantaged. We have also expanded our reforms in two areas where the evidence is clear that our investment will have a significant impact for disadvantaged children: high quality tutoring and great teaching.Education recovery programmes include the Catch Up Premium and Recovery Premium, with funding worth over £1.9 billion for the 2020/21 to 2023/24 academic years. Recovery Premium allocations are based on pupil premium eligibility and can be used by schools on evidence-based activities to support those who need it most.Schools in Coventry will receive Recovery Premium funding worth nearly £1 million over the current academic year, further helping to tackle inequalities in education outcomes.The £1.5 billion for tutoring will allow us to provide up to 100 million tutoring hours for children and young people across England by 2024. This will expand high-quality tutoring in every part of country so that small group tuition is available to every child who needs help catching up, not just those who can afford it.

Pupil Exclusions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the number of state (a) primary and (b) secondary school permanent exclusions by (i) type of school, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) age for each year since 2010.

Mr Robin Walker: The requested information has been published in the national statistics release “Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England”, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england. In the open data section, the file on permanent exclusions and suspensions by characteristic includes data by primary and secondary schools by ethnicity and age by year. In addition, the file by geography includes school level data with academy type. In the open data section, the create table function has been used to produce the table showing permanent exclusions by age and ethnicity for primary and secondary schools by year: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8caf46bb-7a43-46b9-a976-be124ee79a1b.

Private Education: GCE A-level

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of whether the administration of A-level assessment in private schools in England in summer 2021 was conducted in a manner which ensured a level playing field for all pupils in the UK.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the sharp rise in the proportion of A-level grades awarded at A* between 2019 and 2021 in private schools in England.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what lessons his Department is seeking to learn for assessments in summer 2022 from the sharp rise in the proportion of A-level grades awarded at A* between 2019 and 2021 in private schools in England.

Mr Robin Walker: Parents and students can have confidence in the grades awarded in 2021. Overall results in 2021 showed success for those targeting the top grades from all types of schools and from all student backgrounds. The grades awarded reflected students’ hard work in what was a hugely challenging year.Examination boards set out clear requirements for a robust yet proportionate quality assurance process that supported teachers to make judgements and ensured students received meaningful grades. There was a process for both internal and external quality assurance. Additionally, all centres, including independent schools, had their processes for awarding grades checked by examination boards to assure arrangements were appropriate.All schools submitted a selection of student evidence to examination boards, which then scrutinised a sample of this work. Of the sample of 1,101 centres with examined submissions, 55% were secondary schools or academies, 18% were independent or selective centres, 13% were further education colleges, sixth forms or tertiary colleges, and 13% were other centre types, including free schools. This is broadly in line with the proportion of each centre type nationally.Ofqual has published a readily accessible analysis of summer 2021 GCSE and A level results. Ofqual reported on the ways it monitored awarding organisations’ delivery and award of qualifications to students in 2021. The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010044/6828-2_Summer_2021_results_analysis_and_quality_assurance_-_GCSE_and_A_level.pdf. In its report on equalities analysis, published in summer 2021, Ofqual reported examination boards found no evidence that teachers’ judgements were systemically biased in favour of any group of students. This report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010126/6828-3_Student-level_equalities_analysis_for_GCSE_and_A_level_summer_2021.pdf.Ofqual’s findings show general stability in the differences in outcomes for students with different protected characteristics, compared to previous years and increases in outcomes for various groups. Ofqual has reported that this suggests changes to the assessment arrangements in 2021 have lessened the unevenness in outcomes otherwise observable. The government remains committed to providing world-class education and training for everyone, no matter their background or characteristics, and will continue to take the action needed to address disparities to help all pupils make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.Teachers, schools and colleges did a good job in using their collective experience to assess students in 2021. However, the government is clear that exams remain the best and fairest form of assessment, which is why it is determined exams will take place this summer with adaptations to maximise fairness for young people.

Coronavirus Workforce Fund for Schools

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what communications his Department sent out publicising the Coronavirus Workforce Fund to (a) schools and (b) trusts; and what the cost to the public purse was of those communications.

Mr Robin Walker: The department promoted the COVID-19 workforce fund through multiple existing channels. This includes GOV.UK and sector emails, as well as relevant party forums and regional delivery teams, to communicate with schools and trusts across England and encourage eligible schools to access the support.Existing resources were used to support this and therefore it is not possible to estimate the precise cost of the activity.

Coronavirus Workforce Fund for Schools

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117900 on the Coronavirus Workforce Fund, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing data on the covid-19 workforce fund payments and applications.

Mr Robin Walker: School level data on payments made to schools for the 2020 round of the COVID-19 workforce fund is now available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions-2020-to-2021.The claims portal for the current round of the COVID-19 workforce fund will open in the spring, and the department aims to publish data on payments in summer 2022.

Education and Social Services: Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will undertake a full consultation on its draft Sustainability and Climate Change strategy for the education and children’s services systems.

Michelle Donelan: Since the department’s draft Sustainability and Climate Change strategy for the education and children’s services systems was launched in November 2021, a user group of sector representatives and a group of young people, reflecting a diverse range of voices, backgrounds, and experiences, have met monthly to feedback on the draft strategy from those networks and organisations they represent. Working groups, of stakeholders and experts, on each action area within the strategy have also met to discuss the proposals in detail and feed in via representatives on the user group.We are working closely with these groups and with delivery partners across government to refine and build on the strategy ahead of publication of a final version in April 2022.The department is also engaging with a wide range of stakeholders through bilateral meetings and topic specific workshops. We have furthermore launched a feedback survey and have invited all interested parties to submit views to the department’s sustainability mailbox at dfe.sustainability@education.gov.uk.Our engagement process has been designed to ensure we engage meaningfully with a wide range of stakeholders in a variety of different ways to ensure we have maximum impact and can focus on strategic delivery as soon as possible.

Leader of the House

Parliamentary Estate: Security

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps the Government will take to safeguard (a) hon. Members of both Houses from being impeded from entering and leaving the Parliamentary estate and (b) police and other security personnel from being distracted from their duties by incessant noise disturbances over prolonged periods.

Mark Spencer: The Government takes the safety and security of all Members of Parliament extremely seriously. Security measures for Members are continuously kept under review, including through the Consultative Panel on Parliamentary Security and the police work with the Parliamentary Security Department (PSD) to make sure that appropriate measures are in place to ensure that Members can continue with their jobs. Security and other measures in place on the Parliamentary estate are ultimately a matter for the House authorities and PSD. Regulation of noise disturbance is a matter for the police and local authorities and the House authorities have made representations to the relevant authorities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Health Services: Rural Areas

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recommendations of the all-party Parliamentary group on rural health and social care's report on rural health provision in England.

Rebecca Pow: I welcome the all-party Parliamentary group’s report on rural health provision. There are two recommendations that make direct reference to Defra: recommendation 1 on defining rurality and recommendation 2 on identifying health inequalities. The official rural definition is strictly a statistical one – the rural-urban classification. Working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Ordnance Survey and other relevant departments this will be revised once data from the 2021 Census become available. The classification is not prescriptive, and departments have always been able to define rurality flexibly as appropriate for the policy or budgetary context, taking account of relevant factors. On identifying health inequalities, one of the pillars of the Levelling Up White Paper published on 2 February is that the Government will transform its approach to data. As part of this, the Government Statistical Service Subnational Data Strategy aims to improve the UK’s subnational data, mapping local geographies and helping improve transparency and accountability to the public. Defra will be working with the ONS and other departments to implement this strategy.

Wildlife: Trade

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve sanitation and animal welfare practises in the sale of live-caught wild mammals to reduce the risk of future outbreaks of zoonoses.

Jo Churchill: The UK is proud to be at the leading edge of food, health and animal welfare standards. The UK’s policies relating to animal production, as part of our wider sanitary and phytosanitary regime, prioritise animal health and welfare, public health and the environment. The sale of mammals taken from the wild in Great Britain is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) whereby a licence is needed for the sale of certain wildlife species. There is a regulatory framework which covers the import of animals (including wild animals) to protect public and animal health and animal welfare. This includes rules on the disease status of the country of origin, the approval of the premises of origin and destination, the source of animals and the use of isolation or quarantine before and after arrival. Animal health certificates must accompany all mammals entering Great Britain and these certificates must be signed by an official veterinarian of the competent authority of the country of origin, guaranteeing that the conditions for entry have been met. There is a regulatory framework which covers our food safety processes to mitigate risks to public health from food borne pathogens from livestock or hunted wild animals. Defra works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency to ensure zoonotic disease risks are identified and managed appropriately.

Veterinary Medicine

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Veterinary Medicines Regulations for the purposes of (a) encouraging innovation and (b) reducing bureaucracy in the production of animal medicines in the UK.

Jo Churchill: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is in the process of reviewing the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (VMR) to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The powers to amend and supplement the VMR are set out in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act. The Act mandates that, in considering changes to the VMR, we must have regard to the likelihood of the United Kingdom being seen as a favourable place in which to develop, manufacture or supply veterinary medicines. Using the powers in the Act we are able to take a proportionate, risk-based approach to regulation. We intend to, where possible, reduce administrative burdens on industry, whilst effectively ensuring safety for animals, humans and the environment, as well as supporting the availability of veterinary medicines and the UK as an attractive place for UK-based innovation. We will carry out a formal public consultation on the proposed changes to the VMR as they have effect in Great Britain. This consultation will include an assessment of the impact of those changes on UK businesses and provide the opportunity for all stakeholders to express their views.

Livestock: Vaccination

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the range of vaccinations available to livestock in the UK to reduce the risk of zoonoses transmission.

Jo Churchill: Defra’s priority is protecting public and animal health from disease and supporting our sustainable food and farming sectors. Vaccinating livestock to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease can be an important tool in achieving those aims. The UK has a strong track record in developing highly effective veterinary vaccines for diseases such as Clostridial disease, Leptospiroses, E. coli for cattle and pigs, Rinderpest and Foot & Mouth Disease, Coccidiosis in poultry, Salmonella in poultry and a range of vaccines for farmed fish. For infectious agents which are not present in the UK but which could present a risk to public health, Defra works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care to assess the risks through the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group. HAIRS considers the exposure of humans to emerging pathogens through contact and through consumption and provide risk management advice to the chief medical officers and chief veterinary officers of the UK, including on the potential use of vaccines. It is important to note, however, that for several zoonotic diseases present in the UK, vaccination is not always recommended, for example, where they may not be sufficiently effective, are disproportionately costly, are difficult to apply or can have trade implications. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regulates Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) and assesses applications submitted by the veterinary pharmaceutical industry to authorise and make available good quality, safe and efficacious VMPs, including veterinary vaccines for zoonotic diseases for use by veterinarians in the field to reduce the risk of zoonoses transmission where relevant national disease control programmes allow. The legislation also allows approval of exceptional Marketing Authorisations to address an urgent situation such as a new disease or where the product is not expected to be sold in vast quantities. Alternatively, where a suitable veterinary vaccine authorised in the UK is not available to treat a disease, a veterinary surgeon may apply to the VMD for a special import certificate, which allows the use of a veterinary vaccine authorised elsewhere in the world; these applications are subject to a risk assessment by the VMD.

Animal and Plant Health Agency: Customs

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Animal and Plant Health Agency is prepared to conduct physical checks on sanitary and phytosanitary goods at border control posts from 1 July 2022.

Victoria Prentis: Construction work is currently underway at many commercial ports to build the necessary infrastructure and facilities to enable the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks to be carried out. The Government is also working to build further Border Control Post (BCP) capacity across the country. Its Port Infrastructure Fund awarded around £200 million to improve infrastructure at 41 ports, including helping to establish BCPs at key ports around the UK. In addition, the Government is constructing new inland BCPs in Kent, where work is progressing at pace towards the delivery of Sevington and Dover SPS BCPs for operation from 1 July. Sevington is on course for both completion of works and designation, in readiness to deliver SPS checks from 1 July on plants/plant products, wood/wood products and some live species arriving through the Short Straits. At Dover, Defra acquired the lease on an existing distribution warehouse at the White Cliffs Business Park, and work is underway to convert this into Dover SPS BCP. Works are on track for the facility to be designated and operational from 1 July 2022 for SPS checks on plants as part of a mixed load with products of animal origin.

Water Supply: Pollution

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date his Department first knew about high levels of toxic chemicals found in a Cambridgeshire water supply.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he or his Department were informed by Cambridge Water of its intention to blend contaminated water with water from other sources before it reached households in June 2021.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) dates and (b) participants of meetings between his Department and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to discuss the high levels of toxic chemicals found in a Cambridgeshire water supply.

Rebecca Pow: The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is the regulator for drinking water quality and carries out its regulatory functions independently of the Government. It holds water companies to account and takes action to ensure any failures are addressed. Water companies are required to notify the DWI of any event that has affected or might affect the quality or sufficiency of the water supplied. Cambridge Water notified the DWI of the high levels of PFOS on 8 February 2022. The DWI is currently investigating this case. Full details of the investigation cannot be shared at this stage as this might prejudice future legal proceedings. Once the investigation is concluded, the DWI will publish an Event Assessment Letter and share learning through the annual Chief Inspector’s Report, both of which will be publicly available on the DWI’s website.

Pets: Smuggling

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of excluding cats and kittens from the proposed new protections to prevent pet smuggling as outlined in the Commercial and Non-Commercial Movements of Pets into Great Britain consultation.

Jo Churchill: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June and completed committee on 18 November 2021. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. Overall, the number of movements of cats into GB is much lower than for dogs. The consultation sought views on whether this was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders prior to the introduction of the legislation, to ensure that our final measures are well considered and led by the latest evidence.

Land Drainage

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 117035 on Land Drainage, whether the Government has plans for its review to seek submissions, take evidence or consult with any public or private bodies.

Rebecca Pow: The review is consulting with stakeholders through an advisory group which includes wide-ranging expertise relating to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in developments, planning policy and surface water management including, but not restricted to: local planning authorities, water companies, SuDS specialists, developers, consultants, regulators, other public bodies and sewerage undertakers.

Flood Control: River Humber

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 9 February 2022 to Question 117038 on Flood Control: River Humber, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to facilitate the development and implementation of Humber 2100+.

Rebecca Pow: As yet Humber 2100+ have not highlighted the need for legislative proposals to deliver on their work, but, given the importance of their efforts, any points they raise would, of course, be carefully considered.

Attorney General

Government Legal Department: Edenred

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to transaction 232566 in the transparency data Complete transaction records 2021- 2022 25k and over November 2021, published on 9 February 2022, for what services EdenRed was awarded a £25,890 bonus payment by the Government Legal Department on 18 November 2021.

Alex Chalk: Edenred is the sole supplier of employee benefits and reward solutions under the Crown Commercial Service’s Employee Benefits Framework. Edenred supplies the Government Legal Department with both employee benefits and reward solutions, including childcare vouchers, a cycle to work scheme, payroll giving, employee discounts and reward and recognition bonuses. Edenred invoiced Government Legal Department £25,890 for providing reward and recognition bonuses to Government Legal Department, Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate employees during October 2021. Bonuses may take the form of paper vouchers, eGift Cards and Gift Cards. 334 bonuses of a value of between £30.00 and £100.00 were awarded to staff in October 2021, the average (mean) value of which was £73.79 and the most frequent (mode) value was £100.00. Employees receive the full value of the bonus and there is no additional cost for using the service.

Attorney General: Public Expenditure

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, when she plans to publish her Department's transparency data for July, August, September and October 2021 which covers (a) complete transaction records for spends of £25,000 and over and (b) transparency GPC transactions for spends of over £500.

Alex Chalk: The material requested was published on the official government website on 13th December 2021.

Wales Office

Government Departments: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on Government Departments procuring more products that are made in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.

Simon Hart: I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including those around procurement. The Government wants businesses from every corner of the UK to be successful in bidding for UK public contracts. We are reforming the procurement rules to make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including small and mid-size enterprises and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts. The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will also join the reforms. The reforms will support the Government’s levelling up priorities by making it easier for public sector buyers to take account of social value when awarding contracts. This will allow public sector procurement to play into the strengths of Welsh businesses, including those in Newport West, who are well placed to deliver benefits.

Energy: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle the impact of rising energy costs on industry and businesses in Newport West constituency.

Simon Hart: The Government recognises this is a worrying time for businesses of all sizes, due to significant increases in global energy prices. Since 2013, we have provided Energy-Intensive Industries with extensive support, with more than £2 billion to help with the costs of electricity, including over £600 million for the steel industry. This support includes electricity price relief schemes for eligible Energy Intensive Industries in sectors such as steel, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper, and glass. We also have funds in place to support businesses with high energy use, to cut their bills and reduce their carbon emissions, including the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

Crime: Newport West

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of police funding for Wales on crime levels in Newport West constituency.

Simon Hart: I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of subjects, including policing and criminal justice matters in Wales. Welsh Police Forces will receive £820 million in total in 2022/23, an increase of up to £39.2 million on the 2021/22 settlement, and Gwent Police Force, which covers the Newport West constituency, will see an increase of £7.7 million in its 2022/23 funding. Furthermore, Police forces in Wales have been allocated a combined total of 603 additional officers for years one and two of the police uplift. At 31 December, they had recruited 479 officers towards this allocation, with Gwent Police Force having recruited 93 additional uplift officers against an allocation of 124 officers. It should be noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the levels of crime across the country, during this reporting period. In respect of the levels of crime in Newport West, Gwent Police Force recorded a 6% drop in crime (excluding fraud) on the previous year in September 2021.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Computers

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department plans to provide for the purpose of giving prisoners access to laptops.

Victoria Atkins: The project is currently funded to complete deployment to 15 prisons; 9 of which have already been done and 6 to be completed during 2022.

Prisoners: Computers

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) functionality and (b) software is included on laptops available to prisoners.

Victoria Atkins: Prisoners have access on their laptops to transactional services which provides self service capability, such as menu and canteen ordering, e-mail a prisoner and topping up pin-phone credit, as well as Content Hub, which is software developed in-house by one of our MoJ Digital and Technology teams. This provides secure access to a tightly controlled selection of digital services and includes a range of appropriate educational, vocational, mental health and wellbeing (such as combating addiction) content.Users of these devices do not have access to the internet and multiple layers of security protection ensure services and devices are secure. Automated monitoring is in place to ensure any suspicious activity is detected and investigated.

Prisoners: Computers

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners across the prison estate have access to in-cell laptops.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are planned to be given access to laptops.

Victoria Atkins: Approximately 4,900 prisoners have access to in cell laptops over nine establishments which includes four Youth Custody Service sites.Currently a further six establishments are planned to be given access to laptops during 2022 which equates to approximately 4,200 prisoners.

Prisoners: Death

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths have occurred in custody in each prison in Wales in each year since 2019.

Victoria Atkins: The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. Data on deaths in custody from 2019 onwards, broken down by establishment, is available in section 1.13 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Offenders: Personality Disorders

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the National evaluation of the offender personality disorder pathway.

Victoria Atkins: We hope to be able to publish the commissioned national evaluation of the OPD pathway, led by Professor Moran, once it has completed progressing through standard MoJ/HMPPS clearance and publication procedures.

Prisoners: Terrorism

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of prisons with Separation Centres for the containment of terrorist prisoners; how long each of those centres has been operational; and when they first started housing prisoners.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cells within Separation Centres housing prisoners in prisons in England and Wales are being used.

Victoria Atkins: Separation Centres (SCs) were introduced in 2017 with the addition of Rule 46A to the Prison Rules (1999). There are currently three SCs, with two in operation. Each SC began housing prisoners in the same month that it opened. HMP Frankland’s SC opened in June 2017 and remains operational. It has capacity for 8 prisoners. HMP Full Sutton’s SC opened in March 2018 and closed again in May 2019. It continues to have capacity for 8 prisoners. HMP Woodhill’s SC opened in May 2019, closed in Nov 2019, but then reopened in July 2020 and has remained operational since. It has capacity for 12 prisoners. Most terrorist prisoners can be managed in the mainstream prison population as a direct result of the appropriate conditions and controls we have put in place to manage their risk. We do not confirm the number of prisoners or details of any individuals held in Separation Centres. Due to the low number of prisoners held in Separation Centres, publishing these numbers could compromise the security of the facilities.

Magistrates: Sentencing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks associated with extending magistrates' sentencing powers; and what indicators he plans to use to assess the potential merits of (a) retaining and (b) reversing that extension.

James Cartlidge: This policy will allow for some cases, that would currently be sent to the Crown Court for sentencing, to be sentenced and processed more quickly in the magistrates’ court, reducing pressure on the Crown Court and freeing up 1,700 sitting days in the Crown Court each year. This may have an impact on prison population as cases move through the system more quickly. Increased sentencing powers in the magistrates’ court could also increase the number of defendants electing for a Crown Court trial. However, while we cannot predict the behaviour of defendants, we do not expect significantly more people to elect for jury trial as a result of these changes. The policy does not change the length of a sentence that can be given for an offence, it just changes which court will hand down the sentence. Once commenced, there will be continuous monitoring of the impact that extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers has on the criminal justice system in order to respond as appropriate to changing circumstances. A monitoring framework is currently being developed and will be in place prior to commencing the powers. The indicators we plan to use to assess the merits of retaining, or reversing the extension include the effect of the extension on backlog in the Crown Courts, possible effects on the election rate and possible effects on the prison population. These will be regularly evaluated, and the power to vary the limit of magistrates’ sentencing powers back to 6 months will be used if there is sufficient evidence of an unsustainable adverse effect on the system as a direct result of this policy.

Magistrates: Sentencing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114731 on Magistrates: Sentencing, for what reasons his Department do not anticipate that extending magistrates' sentencing powers will have an effect on pre-trial detention.

James Cartlidge: In order to fully maximise court recovery, we are extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months for a single Triable Either Way offence by commencing existing provisions in the Sentencing Act 2020 and Criminal Justice Act 2003. This extension to magistrates’ court sentencing powers will allow for more cases to be retained in magistrates’ courts, allowing these cases to be heard more quickly and reducing the backlog of outstanding cases in the Crown Court. The change will only affect where sentencing can take place and the speed at which sentencing can occur, which will not impact the process in the pre-trial phase.

Magistrates: Sentencing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish his Department's impact assessment of the effect of increasing magistrates' sentencing powers on (a) sentence lengths and (b) prison numbers.

James Cartlidge: An impact assessment and equality impact assessment have been published for the Judicial Review and Courts Bill, which covers the clause to vary the limit of magistrates’ courts sentencing powers between 6 and 12 months. This can be found here Judicial Review and Courts Bill - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).We will publish a further impact assessment and equality impact assessment when the powers to extend magistrates' courts sentencing powers are commenced in the coming months, which will include the potential impact on sentence lengths and prison numbers.

Remand in Custody

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been held on remand for longer than (a) six months, (b) one year and (c) two years by offence type.

James Cartlidge: During the pandemic, the number of people held on remand increased due to the difficult decision to suspend jury trials for a short period in 2020, and reduced capacity within the confines of social distancing.Custody time limits (CTLs) refer to the amount of time a person charged with a criminal offence can be kept in custody before the case is dealt with at court. CTLs were extended in September 2020 from six to eight months, due to the pandemic. The extension contained a sunset clause that expired on 28 June 2021, at which point CTLs automatically reverted to six months.Judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving CTLs to ensure they are listed at the first available opportunity, as well as prioritising cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses (including youth cases), domestic abuse and serious sex cases.As of 31 December 2021, the remand population was 12,780, a reduction of 210 prisoners on the previous quarter (September 2021). The table below shows the latest data on the number of prisoners held on remand, by length of time, in England and Wales. Prisoners held on remand for longer than 6 months, by time held on remand, and offence group, as at 31 December 2021, in England and Wales Longer than 6 months to less than 1 yearLonger than 1 year to less than 2 yearsLonger than 2 yearsTotal2,4751,230480Violence against the person685311123Sexual offences1795526Robbery1315936Theft Offences1607345Criminal damage and arson1003814Drug offences885578161Possession of weapons873118Public order offences3756Miscellaneous crimes against society903623Fraud Offences2315*Summary Non-Motoring932420Summary motoring4**Offence not recorded1*0 Data sources and quality The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.Disclosure control Values of 1 or 2 have been suppressed (*) in the above table to protect the identity of individuals. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.Source: Prison NOMIS

Reoffenders: Convictions

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offence notifications resulted in a conviction, by each type of offence, in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The table below sets out the total number of notifications – that is, where an offender has been charged with a qualifying offence - followed by the resulting SFO convictions, by SFO offence, for notifications submitted to NOMS/HMPPS between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2020.2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20Total SFO notifications485466489507477558685678577536Total SFO convictions [1]257253270274254301347353339271Murder50675159464156809774Attempted murder/ Conspiracy to commit murder12131615142415203018Manslaughter18151623121634323425Attempted Rape/Rape /Assault by penetration including on a child under 13101779380891071191016954Arson with intent to endanger life887109128171114Kidnapping /Abduction/False imprisonment214161921921221413Death involving driving or vehicle taking8658597111913Other serious sexual/violent offences [2]58536660588387706560Time period for conviction data relates to the date of SFO notification to HMPPS not the date of conviction.“Other serious sexual/violent offences” refer to other serious violent or sexual offences which carry a maximum custodial penalty of more than 10 years.The data only includes convictions for serious further offences that have been notified to the national SFO Team, HMPPS.The data provided are provisional subject to change when any outstanding cases are concluded at court.Conviction data also includes cases where the offender committed suicide or died prior to the trial, where the judicial process concluded that they were responsible.The data for April 2010 to March 2014 has been updated, and may differ to the original publication due to data cleansing, re-categorising and re-grouping.Data Sources and Quality. We have drawn these figures from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording systems, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Legal Aid Scheme

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish previous versions of the Legal Aid Agency Directory of Providers as at (a) 9 December 2014, (b) 30 October 2015, (c) 16 December 2016, (d) 1 December 2017, (e) 30 November 2018, (f) 16 December 2019, and (g) 30 November 2020.

James Cartlidge: The primary reason for the publication of the directory of legal aid providers is to ensure the current list of active providers of legal aid services is available to members of the public who may be in need of legal advice or representation. To avoid confusion historic versions of the directory published on www.gov.uk are removed and replaced by the updated version. However, historic versions of the directory, dating back to December 2014, may be accessed via the UK Government Web Archive at: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/*/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.

Courts: Closures

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts buildings closed have subsequently been sold since 2010.

James Cartlidge: Since 2010, HMCTS have sold a total of 164 court buildings. This figure includes the sale of freehold court buildings; it does not include court buildings that were occupied under leasehold arrangements. Since 2015, sale proceeds totalling £211m have been reinvested in the HMCTS Reform programme, to transform the justice system, including introducing 21st century technology and online services to increase access to justice and improve efficiency. The decision to close any court is not taken lightly. It only happens following full public consultation and only when effective access to justice can be maintained. Courts that have closed were either underused, dilapidated or too close to another that remains open.

Legal Aid Scheme: Contracts

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many firms held a (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid contract in each region of England and Wales for each of the last 10 years.

James Cartlidge: The information requested can be found in the attachment. The data has been broken down both by individual provider based on geographical location of the lead office, and at office level to account for providers with a permanent presence in multiple regions throughout England and Wales. The data shows both the total number of active providers with a presence in each region of England and Wales as at 1 April for each year since 2008. Data for the current year is correct as at 10 February 2022. The term ‘provider’ refers to a particular firm or organisation who holds a contract with the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). The LAA only tracks the number of contracted providers, not the number of individual practitioners who provide legal aid services. Providers may have one or more office and may hold a contract to provide civil legal aid, criminal legal aid or both civil and criminal legal aid services. The Legal Aid Agency frequently reviews market capacity to make sure there is adequate provision around the country and moves quickly to secure additional provision where necessary.121917_table (xlsx, 18.9KB)

Fraud: Convictions and Prosecutions

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many reported cases of fraud resulted in (a) prosecution and (b) conviction in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for fraud offences in England and Wales up to December 2020, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987715/outcomes-by-offence-2020.xlsx. In the data tool linked above, use the ‘Offence group’ filter to select ’10: Fraud offences’. The number of defendants prosecuted for this offence group will populate row 23, and the number of defendants convicted will populate row 24 of the pivot table.

Courts: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on each existing Nightingale court.

James Cartlidge: The table below provides a list of the total expenditure on each existing Nightingale court, as at 31 January 2022. The figures include running cost, such as venue hire, security, and cleaning, as well as set-up costs such as enabling works and IT hardware, but do not include staff, judicial or court costs. Nightingale courts have been essential in keeping the wheels of justice turning throughout the pandemic when social distancing severely restricted our ability to carry out face-to-face hearings. We have worked hard to keep costs as low as possible and continue to make sure that these temporary venues are providing best value for money.Existing Nightingale courtNumber of Hearing roomsTotal spend up to 31 January 2022Barbican – London2£2,822,000Birmingham, Maple House – Midlands4£2,751,000Chichester - former court – South East2£773,000Chester Crowne Plaza – North West2£1,082,000Cirencester, former Magistrates’ Court – South West2£420,000Cloth Hall Court – North East3£810,000Croydon Jurys Inn – London2£1,142,000Fleetwood, former Magistrates’ Court – North West2£376,000Liverpool, Hilton Hotel – North West1£1,544,000Maidstone – Mercure – South East2£1,190,000Manchester, Hilton Hotel – North West2£2,255,000Middlesbrough, Jury's Inn Hotel – North East2£862,000Monument – London2£2,089,000M40 J15 The Warwick Hotel - Midlands2£1,626,000Nottingham, Mercure – Midlands2£1,414,000102 Petty France – London4£488,000Peterborough – South East1£831,000Prospero House – London3£6,813,000Swansea Civic Centre - Wales1£657,000Telford, Former County Court - Midlands3£638,000University of Bolton FC – North West1£845,000Winchester, The Guildhall – South West3£1,025,000Wolverhampton, Park Hall Hotel – Midlands2£2,208,000 50£34,661,000

Employment and Support Allowance: Tribunals

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for a case to be heard at an Employment and Support Allowance tribunal is in (a) England, (b) Tees Valley Combined Authority area and (c) Stockton North constituency.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for a case to be heard at a Personal Independence Payment tribunal is in (a) England, (b) Tees Valley Combined Authority area and (c) Stockton North constituency.

James Cartlidge: Information about waiting times for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. Waiting times are calculated from receipt of an appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by SSCS, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal. Waiting times can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, venue capacity and the complexity of the issue in dispute. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally.

Courts: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for how long each existing Nightingale court is contracted to stay open.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his plans are for the future of each of the Nightingale courts; and whether he has plans to open more Nightingale courts.

James Cartlidge: HMCTS establishes temporary ‘Nightingale Courts’ where we identify a need for additional temporary capacity for hearing court and tribunal cases. There are currently 50 rooms across 23 sites, of which 32 are Crown jury trial rooms. As COVID safety measures change we have been able to bring additional hearing rooms in our permanent estate back into use, which has reduced the need for Nightingale courts. We now have over 470 Crown courtrooms available, which is comparable to pre-pandemic levels. An update on the future use of Nightingale Courts will be provided in due course.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish any covid-19 risk assessment undertaken before any parties that took place on Government premises in November and December 2020.

Michael Ellis: In relation to government policy on risk assessments, I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to PQ89703. In relation to alleged gatherings, I refer the Hon. Member to the update from the Second Permanent Secretary, which is in the Library of the House and on GOV.UK.

10 Downing Street

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on the potential use by Ministers and civil servants of legal advice from legal professionals employed or contracted by the Government in responding to requests for information or statements from the police as part of Operation Hillman.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 21 February, PQ122677.

10 Downing Street

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) special advisers and (b) officials working in the Prime Minister's Office have received legal representation funded from the public purse in relation to either (i) the investigation led by the Second Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office into gatherings in government properties or (ii) the investigation by the Metropolitan Police into potential breaches of regulations in Downing Street during covid-19 lockdowns.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 21 February, PQ122677.

Prime Minister: Permanent Secretaries

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when Samantha Jones will begin her term as interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for Downing Street; what the process of her appointment was ; by what process a permanent appointment will be made; whether the role is responsible to the Chief of Staff; and if he will appoint a new Expert Advisor on NHS Transformation and Social Care.

Michael Ellis: Samantha Jones took up her role as interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer in No 10 on 10 February. Her appointment was approved by the Civil Service Commission. A competition to make a permanent appointment will be launched in due course. Ms Jones will report to the Cabinet Secretary. The Prime Minister continues to receive advice from the No10 Policy Unit on all aspects of government policy, including health and social care.

Prime Minister: Coronavirus

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117798, what business units within the Prime Minister's office put arrangements in place to allow employees to adhere to social distancing guidance whilst in the workplace.

Michael Ellis: The No 10 Facilities Management team oversaw such arrangements within Downing Street.

Prime Minister: Information Officers

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the current Downing Street Director of Communications received Enhanced Developed Vetting and STRAP clearance.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the current Downing Street Director of Communications applied for Enhanced Developed Vetting and STRAP clearance.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of all positions in (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing Street that require Enhanced Developed Vetting and STRAP clearance.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the average length of time for personnel in (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing Street to pass the requisite checks to be granted Enhanced Developed Vetting and STRAP clearance.

Michael Ellis: Civil servants, including special advisers, are subject to National Security Vetting. Vetting requirements are determined for each role on a case by case basis. It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within the Department are the subject of vetting. Confirmation of which posts are subject to vetting at what level would highlight who within the Department has access to sensitive material and could be used for targeting purposes which would undermine national security. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Cabinet Office: Newspaper Press

David Linden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the comments of the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency published in the Sun on 8 February 2022, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of those comments with the Cabinet Office consultation principles.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: I have asked members of the British public to raise ideas for regulatory reform directly to the Government. These proposals will be considered by the Government, and those taken forward will be done so by the relevant department, in line with the government Consultation Principles.

10 Downing Street

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Investigation into alleged gatherings on government premises during Covid restrictions has cost in terms of staff time.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, from which budget the investigation conducted by Sue Gray is being funded.

Michael Ellis: The Cabinet Office investigation is being funded from the Cabinet Office existing core administration budget for the financial year 2021/2022. In that context, such information is not recorded within the Cabinet Office's financial or management information systems.

Investigation into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises during Covid Restrictions

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to secure a copy of the full version of the Sue Gray report and publish that report in unredacted form without delay.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Office update from the Second Permanent Secretary which has been published on GOV.UK and placed in the Library of the House. It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further while the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation is ongoing. At the end of the process, the Prime Minister will ask the Second Permanent Secretary to update her findings, which will be published in line with the Terms of Reference.

Employment: Long Covid

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect on households of people being unable to work while experiencing symptoms of long covid.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon Member's Parliamentary Question of 10 February is attached.UKSA response (pdf, 108.0KB)

Unemployment: Long Covid

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has undertaken research into the number of people who have become economically inactive as a result of experiencing long covid.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon Member's Parliamentary Question of 10 February is attached.UKSA response (pdf, 110.0KB)

Government Departments: Procurement

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of Government covid-19 contracts have been awarded without following a competitive tender process since the beginning of March 2021.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This information is not held centrally.Details of Government contracts above £10,000 should be published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Veterans

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Veterans' Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024.

Leo Docherty: The development of the Veterans Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 was launched at a Cabinet meeting in Summer 2021, and Ministers have engaged with Cabinet colleagues over the course of the process. Ministers regularly discuss veterans issues including through the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board, which is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024 contains over 60 commitments worth over £70m from a range of government departments, all contributing to the Government’s mission to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028. We continue to monitor progress against delivering the Action Plan commitments and will do so until the end of the Action Plan period in 2024.

Dissolution

Alex Norris: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to update the Dissolution Principles when the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill passes into law.

Michael Ellis: The Dissolution Principles paper was published as a draft statement to inform debate on the principles that underpin the revived prerogative powers to dissolve one Parliament and call another. There has been careful scrutiny of these principles, including by the Joint Committee on the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, and the Government expanded on its views on the conventions on dissolution, government formation and confidence in its response to the Committee. Through these debates, the Government considers that the Dissolution Principles document has served its purpose in supporting informed scrutiny of the non-legislative constitutional principles that apply to dissolution. Moreover, the Government has committed to updating the Cabinet Manual so that it continues to play a useful role as a guide to the operations and procedures of government and the associated conventions. This will include revisiting chapter 2 on Elections and Government formation to reflect the passage of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill.

10 Downing Street

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there was a cost to the public purse from expenditure on (a) alcohol, (b) food, (c) suitcases and (d) a fridge at gatherings being investigated by the (i) Second Permanent Secretary to Cabinet Office and (ii) Metropolitan Police.

Michael Ellis: No.

10 Downing Street

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance applied to (a) covid-safe meeting or events and (b) the admission of guests to Downing Street during November and December 2020.

Michael Ellis: The central government guidance from BEIS to employers, on how to reduce the risk of transmission in the workplace, applied during this period. Across the whole workplace of the government estate, this included undertaking appropriate premises risk assessments and implementing mitigation measures. Meetings with external organisations will have been held virtually as far as possible.

Guto Harri

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of a potential conflict of interest arising from the 10 Downing Street Communications Director's work with with Hawthorn Advisors.

Michael Ellis: All special advisers make a declaration of interests to their employing department. Steps are then taken to ensure no conflict of interest or mitigate any potential conflict to the satisfaction of the relevant Permanent Secretary; and relevant interests are routinely published on GOV.UK. On taking up employment with the Civil Service, Mr Harri resigned from Hawthorn Advisors.

Social Security: EU Law

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which aspects of European social security law the Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency is currently reviewing under the options for potential deregulation arising from the Government's Benefits of Brexit paper.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which aspects of European social security law his Department is currently reviewing under the options for the amendment or removal of retained EU law under the Government's proposed Brexit Freedoms Bill.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The review of retained EU law, led by the Cabinet Office, is continuing. Officials are working to deliver the cross Whitehall review and are working closely with departments to assess a broad scope of retained EU law across all policy areas and the UK statute book. At present, no conclusions have been made on what pieces of retained EU law will be amended under the proposed Bill.

Cabinet Office: Newspaper Press

David Linden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the article accredited to the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, published in the Sun newspaper on 10 February 2022 was cleared in draft with the No. 10 Press and Private Offices at least 24 hours in advance.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The specified article received the appropriate clearances.

House of Commons Commission

Members: Coronavirus

Owen Thompson: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many hon. Members tested positive for covid-19 (a) in the week commencing 7 February 2022 and (b) since 5 January 2022.

Sir Charles Walker: Data is held with respect to the number of positive cases with potential links to the Parliamentary estate but is not broken into passholder groups, such as MPs.Cases are considered to have potential links to the estate where a person testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (by PCR or LFT), has attended the parliamentary estate for work purposes within the week prior to onset of symptoms (or date of positive test), with onset of symptoms (or date of positive test). This does not mean the case is confirmed as definitely being linked to the estate.A total of 349 positive cases have been reported from 5 January to 11 February 2022.A total of 27 positive cases have been reported from 7–11 February 2022.